KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
02-Mar-2022
Police arrested five drug peddlers and seized 55-kg poppy husk and 600 intoxicating pills from them in Abohar in Fazilka district.
01-Mar-2022
The Punjab and Haryana High Court directed the states of Punjab and Haryana, along with the Union Territory of Chandigarh, to file status reports on the disposal of case properties in drug matters under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The direction came after Justice Augustine George Masih and Justice Sandeep Moudgil issued notice to Haryana Advocate-General and UT Senior Standing Counsel for May third week. The case revolves around the disposal of contraband in a timely manner as per the directions already issued by the Supreme Court (SC)/ Government of India.
01-Mar-2022
The Crime Investigation Agency arrested a person, identified as Ravinder Singh (23) and recovered 1.57 kg heroin worth Rs 7.87 crore from his possession in Ferozepur district. Two of his accomplices, Shiva and Anmol, were on the run.
01-Mar-2022
A study conducted by the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research (PGI), Chandigarh, revealed that every seventh person in Punjab is consuming one or the other kind of drug, which makes up 15.4% of the population in Punjab. The study was done by the Department of community medicine of PGI.
28-Feb-2022
To mark the 1921 Nankana Sahib massacre, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) organised a ‘gurmat samagam’ at Shaheed Sikh Missionary College in Amritsar.
28-Feb-2022
According to reports, Ulsoor Gurdwara in Karnataka has written to the Karnataka government to issue a government order (GO) to protect the five Kakkar’s (articles of faith) and the constitutional rights of the Sikh minority community of Karnataka.
26-Feb-2022
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) termed the alleged denial of admission to a six-year-old Sikh boy by a private school in Karnataka’s Mangaluru as an attack on religious freedom of the community. SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami has also reportedly written to the Karnataka Chief Minister (CM), seeking an appointment to discuss the issue.
26-Feb-2022
The Focal Point police arrested a factory worker, identified as Sone Lal Mahato and recovered 1.05-kg opium from him in Gobindgarh village in Ludhiana district. Sone Lal Mahato, who hails from Bihar, had procured the drug from Mathura, Uttar Pradesh.
25-Feb-2022
The Nurmahal police arrested two drug peddlers, identified as Jaskaran Singh alias Raju and Jagtar Ram alias Sunny and recovered 470 intoxicant tablets in Jalandhar district.
25-Feb-2022
According to reports, at a time when drug addiction is on the rise, the residents of Kaljharani village in Bathinda district have literally waged a war against “chitta”, a highly addictive synthetic drug. Many youngsters have died due to drug overdose in the district in the recent past and the issue had been raked up by various political parties during the recently concluded Assembly elections.
25-Feb-2022
After a teenager allegedly died of drug overdose at Gurusar village in Gidderbaha in Muktsar district, the panchayat decided not to help anyone secure bail if found selling drugs. The decision was taken after villagers assembled in protest.
24-Feb-2022
Taking note of drug peddling and use in their area, the residents of Kaljharani village in Bathinda district threatened people in the illicit trade with dire consequences if they are caught. The local villagers threatened to take the law in their hands, saying that they would “break the legs” of anyone found selling drugs.
24-Feb-2022
The ‘bhog’ ceremony of actor-turned-activist Deep Sidhu, who had died in an accident in Haryana’s Sonipat district, was held at the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) run Gurdwara at Fatehgarh Sahib in Fatehgarh Sahib district. A large number of followers of Sidhu, including leaders like Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) president Simranjit Singh Mann, paid tributes to Sidhu. Youth carrying posters of Deep Sidhu on way to the Gurudwara raised pro-Khalistan and Deep Sidhu “amar rahey” slogans. “Saadi majboori hai, Khalistan zaroori hai”, they said raising the slogans. During the bhog ceremony too, some youth raised “Khalistan Zindabad” slogans several times.
24-Feb-2022
The Delhi Police arrested 13 terrorists, including two of Pakistan-trained Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Module, in 2021, officials said. In 2020, 32 terrorists were arrested, the highest since 2016. A total of five terrorists were arrested in 2019, eight in 2018, 11 in 2017 and 16 in 2016. Police said that 13 terrorists belonging to different terrorist organisations like the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), Pak-trained ISI module, Kuki National Front (KNF) and Khalistan Commando Force (KCF) were arrested and their plans to execute terror strikes in Delhi were foiled. A sizeable quantity of explosives, arms, ammunition and other incriminating material were recovered along with these arrests, they said.
24-Feb-2022
A new report by Chandigarh-based Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) revealed that one in seven (15%) in Punjab are currently dependent on addictive substances, both licit and illicit. In absolute numbers, it translates into 40 lakh people. The major concern, as observed by the report, is that among those consuming opioids or chitta (as it’s called in colloquial Punjabi), the number of injecting drug users (IDUs) has gone up considerably.
23-Feb-2022
Police arrested three persons, identified as Prem Singh, Paramjit Singh and Bittu Singh and recovered 160-kg poppy husk from their car in Fazilka district. According to police, they were trying to smuggle poppy husk from Rajasthan to Jalalabad. Police claimed that the accused brought poppy husk from Bikampur Bikaner for delivery in Rattewala village of Jalalabad.
23-Feb-2022
A biker, identified as Naresh Odh was arrested for carrying 400 intoxicating tablets in Abohar in Fazilka district.
22-Feb-2022
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting took down several mobile applications, social media accounts and websites of foreign-based news outlet Punjab Politics TV for having links with proscribed organization, Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), after reviewing “intelligence inputs that the channel was attempting to use online media to disturb public order during the ongoing state assembly elections”. The I&B Ministry’s statement said that, “The ministry of information and broadcasting has ordered blocking of apps, website, and social media accounts of foreign-based Punjab Politics TV for having close links with Sikhs For Justice, an organisation that has been declared unlawful under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA).” It added that the contents of the blocked apps, website, and social media accounts had the “potential to incite communal disharmony and separatism”. “[They] were found to be detrimental to the sovereignty and integrity of India, security of the state, and public order. It was also observed that the launch of new apps and social media accounts was timed to gain traction during the ongoing elections,” it said.
21-Feb-2022
More than 30 lakh people in Punjab are currently consuming one or the other kind of drug, mainly among the men, revealed a survey conducted by PGIMER. Alcohol is the maximally abused substance by more than 20 lakh people, followed by tobacco consumed by more than 15 lakh people. The second edition of ‘Roadmap for Prevention and Control of Substance Abuse’ in Punjab edited by Dr J S Thakur, professor of community medicine at PGIMER, was released by Punjab governor and Chandigarh administrator Banwarilal Purohit.
20-Feb-2022
Amid polling in Punjab for 2022 Assembly polls, the Border Security Force (BSF) recovered three packets of contraband suspected to be heroin weighing 3 Kgs in the Abohar sector in Fazilka district on February 20. According to the official statement, observing suspicious movement ahead of the Border Security Fence in AOR of Abohar Sector, the troops fired to stop 'further misadventure' and the smuggler managed to flee away to Pakistan territory.
20-Feb-2022
According to reports, with the arrest of four youths on February 19, the Sonepat police claimed to have busted a gang which was involved in ‘contract killings’ in Punjab on the directions of banned terrorist group handlers of Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) and International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF). Sources said that prima facie, it was revealed that the accused were in contact with the banned terrorist groups for the past three or four months and they were searching for youths who have criminal records in Haryana but not in Punjab. They were preparing such criminals for contract killings in Punjab on the directions of their handlers in Canada and Australia. The CIA unit of the district police also recovered an AK-47 rifle, 49 rounds of cartridges of AK-47, three foreign-made automated pistols and cartridges from the possession of the accused. Besides, teams of Punjab Police and the National Investigation Agency (NIA), along with other intelligence agencies, arrived at Sonepat to interrogate the accused.
20-Feb-2022
Remembering the sacrifice of over 150 Sikhs who laid down their lives during the Saka Nankana Sahib on February 20, 1921, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandak Committee (SGPC) organized a function to pay homage to the martyrs.
19-Feb-2022
Four persons who are allegedly associated with Khalistani terrorist groups, identified as Sunil, Jatin, Sagar and Surendra, were arrested with a cache of illegal weapons in Sonipat in Sonipat district of Haryana on February 19. An automatic AK-47, four foreign pistols, one country made pistol, and 56 cartridges were recovered from their possession. Sonipat Superintendent of Police (SP) Rahul Sharma said that primary probe revealed that the illegal weapons had been provided by Khalistani terrorists, who had deposited lakhs in the accused’s bank accounts as well. “The accused were connected to the main leaders of the Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) through social media,” SP said. The arrested accused also admitted to killing one Avtar Singh in Udhampur Kalan village of Punjab on the behest of Khalistani leaders, Sharma added.
19-Feb-2022
Just hours before the Punjab Polls the Khalistani secessionist organization, Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) made some revelations regarding the Punjab Assembly Elections that are due for February 20. SFJ claimed that around 20 thousand Booth Level Officers (BLOs) in Punjab who are on election duty are in constant contact with the SFJ and they will also be conducting polling on the Khalistan referendum. "Thousands of BLOs have assured their support to SFJ ion Campaigning for Khalistan on 20th February and also pledged to organise the Khalistan referendum voting in Punjab," said Gurupatwant Singh Pannun, in a video message. Pannun also launched an attack on Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu asking if he is a "terrorist" or an "ISI" agent citing his contacts with Pakistan PM Imran Khan and General Bajwa.
19-Feb-2022
The intelligence agencies issued a nationwide security alert after pro-Khalistan outfit, Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) call for a bandh. As Punjab is set to go for polling on February 20 Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who is the founder of SFJ, issued a video and called for a ‘Rail-Punjab Bandh’ on February 19. In the video, Pannun has also asked his followers to install "Kesri Khalistan" flags at polling stations in Punjab and shout slogans of "Khalistan Zindabad" on the day of the election.