KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
28-Feb-2023
On February 28, Waris Punjab De head Amritpal Singh visited to honour the death anniversaries of two militants. One was observed at Manochahal village in Tarn Taran district for Bhindranwala Tiger Force (BTF) chief Gurbachan Singh Manochahal, while another was observed in Chabba village in Amritsar district for Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) Sukhdev Singh Chabba. During both gatherings, Amritpal Singh was offered 'siropas' (robe of honour) by the organizers. When addressing the public, Amritpal defended his recent act of carrying the Guru Granth Sahib to Ajnala. "Only Guru Granth Sahib can guide us from darkness to light," he said.
28-Feb-2023
Punjab government on February 28 transferred 18 police personnel, including the Amritsar Commissioner of Police, with immediate effect. According to sources, sixteen of the 18 police personnel are Indian Police Service (IPS) officers and two are Punjab Police Service officers who got the transfer. They were transferred days after the Ajnala police station incident.
27-Feb-2023
On February 27, the Border Security Force (BSF) recovered five packets of heroin, weighing 2.6kg, that had been smuggled from Pakistan, near Mehndipur village in the Bhikhiwind subdistrict of Tarn Taran district.
27-Feb-2023
According to sources, intelligence agencies found that pro-Khalistan entities (PKEs) held several gatherings over the previous two years to campaign for Khalistan among young people in Punjab and other parts of the country. Amritpal Singh, a Khalistani separatist, is alleged to have spoken with several pro-Khalistan entities (PKEs) while residing in Dubai before moving back to India last year. According to sources, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is looking into Khalistani entities with ties to Dubai in various terror finance cases. But intel agencies have not yet been able to gather any information on Amritpal.
27-Feb-2023
Mohkam Singh, who was a close associate of Khalistani leader Bhindranwale, on February 27 said that carrying the Guru Granth Sahib to the Anjala protest site was inappropriate and that Sikhs had "condemned" Amritpal for doing so. He also said that "Amritpal is yet to prove his credentials".
27-Feb-2023
The chief of Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, in a video posted on social media on February 27 threatened to “storm and target” New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport with Khalistan flags during the upcoming G20 Foreign Ministers Summit in New Delhi. The video also shows slogans written "Punjab is Not India" and "Khalistan Zindabad" by the outlawed pro-Khalistan group at the Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Office Complex of Rode village in Moga district of Punjab. Pannun in the video further said that the graffiti is aimed to communicate to the foreign ministers of G20 countries that “Punjab is not a part of India”. “This message is for the G20 foreign ministers. Punjab is not India. SFJ will storm and target the New Delhi Airport with Khalistan flags,” he said.
27-Feb-2023
On February 27, seven prison inmates were booked after two jailed gangsters were killed in a gang fight at Goindwal Sahib Central Jail in Tarn Taran district. During the clash, they used iron strips in which another accused was injured, who was also arrested in connection with the Sidhu Moosewala murder case. These accused have been charged under sections 302 (murder) and 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
27-Feb-2023
According to reports, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) investigation has revealed that the gangsters are using Punjabi singers as a means of terrorism financing. Sources indicate, that gangsters imprisoned in Canada, Punjab, and even inside prisons are allegedly threatening to release exclusive songs on YouTube channels run by their associates so as to use the money from India to buy illegal weapons from other countries for targeted killings. This has been disclosed in the draft charge sheet of NIA.
26-Feb-2023
Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann stated on February 26 that supporters of Khalistan were receiving funds from Pakistan and other countries. CM, who was in Gujarat, stated that the Punjab Police were capable of handling the issue and only a handful of persons were supporting the pro-Khalistan movement in Punjab.
26-Feb-2023
Two gangsters, who were arrested in connection with Sidhu Moosewala murder case, identified as Mandeep Singh alias Toofan and Mohan Singh alias Manmohan were killed in a clash in Goindwal jail in Tarn Taran district on February 26. Another jail inmate identified as Keshav was critically injured in the clash. Toofan was arrested by the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) in September 2022. He was also wanted in the killing of another notorious gangster Ranbir Singh alias Rana Kandowalia in a hospital in Amritsar in August 2021.
26-Feb-2023
Punjab's former Chief Minister (CM) Captain Amarinder Singh on February 26 criticized Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann for failing to keep Punjab’s law and order. He said that the Government of India "would have to step in" if the Mann government is unable to keep the peace.
26-Feb-2023
According to official sources, the Punjab Police was asked by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) to submit a comprehensive report on the Ajnala event. The Ministry is in contact with security agencies over the activities of Amritpal Singh, the leader of "Waris Punjab De," who has returned from Dubai. A thorough report on the Ajnala incidents in Punjab over the past two to three days has been prepared by the Intelligence Bureau (IB). According to sources, it was communicated to the UMHA's top officials.
26-Feb-2023
The Border Security Force (BSF) shot down a drone, identified as Chinese made DJI Matrice, along the Indian territory near Shahjada village of Amritsar district on February 26.
26-Feb-2023
The police arrested two persons, identified as Karan and Preet Kamal for allegedly possessing heroin and recovered 15 gm and 20 gm of heroin from each of them in Amritsar in Amritsar district.
26-Feb-2023
The Central government on February 26 suspended the Instagram profile of the Waris Punjab De head, Khalistani sympathizer Amritpal Singh. Notably, Amritpal’s account was a verified account with Blue Tick and used for running his pro-Khalistani agenda.
25-Feb-2023
Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Singh on February 25 condemned supporters of Khalistan sympathiser and Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh's aide, Lovepreet, aka Toofan Singh, for using the Sikh holy book as a "shield" during their recent protest at Ajnala police station. CM tweeted in Punjabi, “Those who take the Guru Granth Sahib to police stations as a shield cannot be called ‘waris (the heirs)’ of Punjab and Punjabiyat in any way,".
25-Feb-2023
Sukhbir Singh Badal, the president of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), criticized Amritpal and his supporters for allegedly committing sacrilege at Ajnala. He pointed out, "This is shocking, unbelievable and unforgivable. Never in Sikh history has anyone ever shown such brazen disrespect to the Guru Granth Sahib Ji as was done at Ajnala". Also, Giani Harpreet Singh, the jathedar of the Akal Takht, constituted a subcommittee on February 25 to examine the dos and don'ts of where the Sikh holy book can be carried in order to preserve its status and honour. According to Sarbat Khalsa's Dhian Singh Mand, the Guru Granth Sahib should not have been taken for personal purposes.
25-Feb-2023
Sukhbir Singh Badal, the president of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), criticized Amritpal and his supporters for allegedly committing sacrilege at Ajnala. He pointed out, "This is shocking, unbelievable and unforgivable. Never in Sikh history has anyone ever shown such brazen disrespect to the Guru Granth Sahib Ji as was done at Ajnala". Also, Giani Harpreet Singh, the jathedar of the Akal Takht, constituted a subcommittee on February 25 to examine the dos and don'ts of where the Sikh holy book can be carried in order to preserve its status and honour. According to Sarbat Khalsa's Dhian Singh Mand, the Guru Granth Sahib should not have been taken for personal purposes.
25-Feb-2023
Amritpal Singh, while addressing the media in Ajnala on February 25 claimed that the Ajnala incident was not violent. He said, "You are counting sloganeering and hoisting the flags (Khalistani), as violence... you have not seen the real violence till now, the real violence is yet to be seen," He also stated that, violence was 'sacred'. "Suppressed people choose violence. People say violence is very bad, but violence is very sacred. Guru Gobind Singh Ji said, when you have no choice, then holding a sword is right," he said.
25-Feb-2023
Amritpal Singh on February 25 said that the Anjala violent incident and subsequent release of Lovepreet Singh will "change the course of the future". He further said that the Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) could not claim ignorance of the situation. It wasn't that he was unaware of the situation. He also stated that Punjab Police acted hastily based on incorrect intelligence reports.The incident at Ajnala police station in Amritsar on February 23 could have been prevented if police had been more vigilant and his aide Lovepreet Singh Toofan had not been arrested, he said.
24-Feb-2023
On February 24, in an interview with India Today, Amritpal Singh, who is the head of 'Waris Punjab De', said, "There is no revival but survival. Khalistan is not a taboo and the demand is being made to end suffering. I won’t even call myself a preacher." He said, “Once we will make Khalistan here, we will go to Lahore". He had previously threatened the police to face serious consequences, if the case against his aide was not closed. Based on a complaint filed by Varinder Singh, Amritpal Singh and his five aides were charged with kidnapping, theft, rioting, and other offenses.
24-Feb-2023
The Senior Superintendent of Punjab Police (SSP) Harpal Singh Randhawa stated that, "What happened on February 23 should not have happened. Because Amritpal (Singh) had brought Guru Granth Sahib with him, the Punjab Police did not retaliate. Things would have gone wrong if we had retaliated. We respected Guru Granth Sahib”. The SSP also said that Amritpal had previously stated that he would only hold peaceful dharnas. "But he lied to us. His supporters attacked the Punjab Police, but we did nothing since Guru Granth Sahib was in the midst."
24-Feb-2023
'Waris Punjab De' leader Amritpal Singh stated on February 24 that the goal of Khalistan should not be viewed as evil or taboo. The statement comes after massive protest over his close aide Toofan Singh's arrest. Amritpal Singh openly stated that it was his right to demand the separation of the Sikh homeland from India. "It should be seen from an intellectual point of view as to what could be its geopolitical benefits. It's an ideology and ideology never dies. We are not asking for it from Delhi," Meanwhile, several Sikh leaders have criticized the separatist leader for his divisive agenda and attempts to incite animosity between the Sikh and Hindu communities in Punjab, which have coexisted peacefully for generations.
24-Feb-2023
Two drug peddlers identified as Raj Singh Raju and Amandeep Singh, were arrested along with 75,500 intoxicating tablets on NH 62 in Abohar, Fazilka district on February 24.
23-Feb-2023
On February 23, Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav assured Himachal Pradesh DGP Sanjay Kundu of his full support in combating organised inter-state crime, notably the smuggling of drugs and illicit liquor across the Punjab-Himachal Pradesh border. He also mentioned that in order to stop the smuggling of illegal narcotics and liquor, it was decided to strengthen the closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera network at the entry and exit points across the border.