KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
01-Feb-2022
The Punjab and Haryana high court on February 1 deferred the hearing on a suo motu plea on Punjab drug menace post assembly polls for March 24.
01-Feb-2022
Amid threats from the Pakistan-based terrorists, Afghan Mujahideen, insurgency in the Northeast states, and the Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), the Central government has enhanced the budget for the Intelligence Bureau (IB) by 13.43 percent with an allocation of INR 3,168.36 crore. The government has increased the budget so that its intelligence wing is technologically equipped.
01-Feb-2022
The State Investigation Agency (SIA) of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) carried out a raid and arrested a person, who was allegedly involved in terror funding, identified as Jaideep Dhawan on February 1 night in Amritsar. Sources claimed that the J&K Police had seized Rs 42 lakh hawala money from Nagrota on November 16, 2021. According to police, the money was being pumped in the Valley for militants. The SIA got the transit remand of Jaideep from the Mohkampura police station. The SIA also reportedly carried out raids in other two locations of Punjab and Haryana and nabbed two more persons.
31-Jan-2022
Balwant Singh Rajoana, one of the men convicted for the assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Beant Singh, appealed to the people to vote for the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in the upcoming Punjab polls and asked ‘sangat’ to vote against the Congress to punish them for the ‘1984 anti-Sikh riots and murders of thousands of innocent Sikh youths.’ He is currently lodged at Patiala Central Jail and out of jail briefly to attend his father’s bhog ceremony.
29-Jan-2022
According to sources, Pakistan is directly involved in the narco-terror smuggling attempts along the India-Pakistan borders. Sources said, Pakistani rangers are in support of such illegal movements at the border and are constantly observing Indian movement on the borders. According to the source, the recent incident at Gurdaspur where the Border Security Force seized 57.8 kgs of heroin along with arms and ammunition from a Pakistani smuggler was an example of a similar event.
28-Jan-2022
According to sources, the Election Commission (EC) has seized drugs worth nearly Rs 75 crore from Punjab in the run-up to assembly elections. EC sources said drugs worth Rs 74.64 crore were seized under the expenditure monitoring process in Punjab up to Thursday, followed by Manipur (Rs 65.54 crore), Uttar Pradesh (Rs 25.54 crore), Uttarakhand (Rs 4.03 crore) and Goa (0.98 crore).
28-Jan-2022
According to sources, the Election Commission (EC) has seized drugs worth nearly Rs 75 crore from Punjab in the run-up to assembly elections. EC sources said drugs worth Rs 74.64 crore were seized under the expenditure monitoring process in Punjab up to Thursday, followed by Manipur (Rs 65.54 crore), Uttar Pradesh (Rs 25.54 crore), Uttarakhand (Rs 4.03 crore) and Goa (0.98 crore).
28-Jan-2022
The Border Security Force (BSF) foiled a cross-border drug smuggling bid and recovered 58 kg heroin after an exchange of fire with Pakistani smugglers in which one BSF jawan was injured in an area under Chandu Wadala border outpost along the Indo-Pak border in Gurdaspur district. Gurdaspur Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Nanak Singh said that the exchange of fire took place between the BSF troops and Pakistani smugglers after the latter tried to push drugs through a pipe into the Indian territory. BSF, during the search operation, recovered 47 packets of heroin and seven packets of opium. Besides, a Chinese-made Norinco pistol with two magazines, 9 mm Pietro Beretta pistol with one magazine, 74 rounds of AK-47 with four magazines, 44 rounds of 0.3 calibre and 12 rounds of 9 mm were also seized by the BSF. A 15-foot-long plastic pipe was recovered from the spot.
28-Jan-2022
The Punjab and Haryana High Court (HC), while rapping the police for their “callously casual approach” towards official duty in a drugs case, asserted that drug menace in Punjab appeared to be touching new heights with each passing day. The HC Bench asserted such conduct was least expected as the officials were duty bound to check the crime graph in the state, especially when drug menace had become deep rooted and was taking its toll like “a slow poison” on the youths.
27-Jan-2022
Several Supreme Court lawyers including senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani received a threat call from banned pro-Khalistan outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ). In the audio call, SFJ chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannun was heard making a preposterous claim that the Khalistani flag will be hoisted in the Supreme Court. Pannun said, "Mr Jethmalani, you will see that we shall be going to the top court of this country and we shall raise the flag at the Supreme Court." Supreme Court advocate NS Nappinai said, "This is a little worrisome. Because if you look at the way the legal fraternity has functioned, whatever kind of case they take up be it tough or regular, there has never been a legacy of the system or the community being threatened. And now, the frequency is increasing and we have had instances of lawyers being physically harmed. Some have lost their lives also. This is a very serious issue which definitely needs to be addressed by the court and the legal fraternity to understand where things are going wrong."
27-Jan-2022
The Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) arrested a cross-border drug peddler, identified as Balwinder Singh alias Vindi and recovered heroin worth Rs 5 crore in Ferozepur district.
25-Jan-2022
According to a senior official in Delhi Police, with an aim to carry out terrorist attacks on Republic Day and derail elections in five states, Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has reactivated its Kashmir-Khalistan (K2) desk to bring pro-Khalistan and anti-India supporters in Kashmir at a common platform. Delhi Police on January 25 pasted posters with names and pictures of suspected terrorists belonging to the Al-Qaeda terror group and banned terrorist outfits of pro-Khalistan in central Delhi. A senior official said that the idea behind the K2 desk is to exploit sentiments in Punjab and Kashmir. Intelligence agencies said that around 350 terrorists are ready to infiltrate India. The videos released by pro-Khalistan outfit, Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) push the part of the K2 plan and is backed by ISI. In a recent video released by SFJ leader Gurpatwant Singh, he had shared the screen with a burqa-clad woman in the video. The woman, in her message, urged "Kashmiri Freedom Fighters" to leave the Valley and reach Delhi on January 26 to free Kashmir and Khalistan." The purported video of SFJ also featured a picture of terrorist Burhan Wani, who was killed in an encounter in Kashmir. Pannun claimed that the burqa-clad woman is a Muzaffarabad- (Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir) based woman "activist".
25-Jan-2022
The security agencies warned Delhi Police that on the occasion of Republic Day Khalistani terrorists can strike in the national capital. Police have also released posters of eight Khalistani terrorists. According to sources, Delhi Police have also reportedly got a few calls in this connection and they are taking the input seriously. Delhi Police released posters of the Khalistani terrorists from different organisations, and have urged the people to inform them immediately if they come across anything suspicious. The posters have been pasted across the national capital.
25-Jan-2022
According to Border Security Force (BSF), the International Border (IB) in Punjab remains the most vulnerable stretch along the entire western front with Pakistan, with the highest number of drone sightings, apprehensions of intruders and recovery of arms and narcotics in 2021 being reported in this sector. Sources said that, of the 100-odd drone sightings reported by the BSF in 2021, as many as 67 have been in Punjab Frontier, followed by 24 in Jammu Frontier and six in Rajasthan Frontier. Gujarat Frontier and Kashmir Frontier reported two and one sighting, respectively. A senior BSF officer revealed that in 2021, there were 62 incidents where enemy drones operating in the vicinity of the border were fired upon by BSF personnel. These included 43 in the area of Punjab Frontier and 17 in Jammu Frontier, followed by two in Rajasthan Frontier. BSF data also showed there have been 58 incidents of hostile drones crossing over into the Indian territory, out of which 45 were in Punjab alone. There have also been instances of drones being recovered after being shot down by the BSF.
25-Jan-2022
The Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) arrested two persons, identified as Vikram and Arun Bhatti and recovered a Chinese-made pistol (.30 bore) along with 25 live rounds, besides fake Indian currency worth Rs 80,000, five mobiles, an internet dongle, a car and three motorcycles from their possession in Ferozepur district.
24-Jan-2022
Several Supreme Court lawyers again received threat calls, allegedly from terrorist group Indian Mujahideen, over the removal of Article 370 that granted special rights to Kashmir. The callers threatened to hoist the flag of Kashmir in Delhi on Republic Day. The callers also referred to threats by the pro-Khalistan group, Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) and vowed to "take the fight to Delhi”. “We will take the fight to Delhi...The way Article 370 was removed is against the rights of the people of Kashmir, and the Supreme Court is just as responsible as the government...The fight for Freedom of Kashmir will take place in Delhi and the world will watch...Even the organisation 'Sikhs for Justice' which supports the idea of Khalistan is taking the fight to Delhi," transcript of the call recording said.
24-Jan-2022
According to sources, Delhi Police ramped up security measures ahead of Republic Day on the basis of specific intelligence inputs. The intelligence agencies have asked the Delhi Police to keep a watch on people who were actively involved in the protests against the CAA, the NRC and the three farm laws. Sources added that some of these individuals are in touch with anti-social elements backed by foreign sources to destabilise normalcy in India.
24-Jan-2022
Radical group Dal Khalsa, while accusing Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal of blocking the release of 1993 bomb blast case convict Devinderpal Singh Bhullar, said in Chandigarh that both BJP and AAP were chips of the same block and their silence on Sikh prisoners’ issue was criminal. Dal Khalsa leaders Kanwarpal Singh and H S Dhami also announced to take out a march in Amritsar on January 26.
24-Jan-2022
Punjab police teams raided different places and arrested 10 peddlers and recovered a total of 37.05 gm of smack, 1.5-kg opium, 1.7 kg of poppy and 685 gm of ganja from their possession.
23-Jan-2022
Punjab Police have been carrying out search and combing operations in villages along the Indo-Pak border in the border districts in Punjab. This is being done to thwart any untoward incident in view of the ensuing Assembly elections and Republic Day celebrations. Police have been carrying out intelligence-based operations as there has been regular seizure of explosives including RDX, hand grenades and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) being pushed into the country by Pakistan-based banned terror modules.
23-Jan-2022
The Khanna district police arrested two drug peddlers, identified as Tirath Singh and Ramjan Mohammad and seized nearly 142 kilograms of poppy husk and 2 vehicles used in the crime from the accused following two connected raids in Sihar and Shahpur villages in Khanna district.
22-Jan-2022
The Special Task Force (STF) arrested four persons for allegedly harbouring Sukhpreet Singh, the key accused of the terror attacks that took place in Punjab in November from Udham Singh Nagar district of Uttarakhand. The four accused were identified as Shamsher Singh (26), Harpreet Singh (24), Gurpal Singh (24), and Ajmer Singh (30). The STF has also recovered a 0.32 bore pistol and a hatchback car from their possession. Senior Superintendent of Police, Udham Singh Nagar, Barinderjit Singh said, “The four accused were arrested after Punjab police shared intelligence that prime accused Sukhpreet was hiding in the district and being helped by the operatives of Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), an outlawed militant group. An STF team raided several suspected hideouts in Pantnagar town of the district and managed to nab the four accused. Sukhpreet, however, is still at large.”
22-Jan-2022
According to reports, the Special Task Force (STF) of drugs has failed to make any breakthrough in the seizure of Improvised Explosive Device (IED) recovered from near Dhanoe Khurd village located on the Attari-Bachiwind border village road in Amritsar over a week ago. The IED contained over 2.7-kg RDX along with 1.36-kg iron ball packed in three containers to enhance its potency. Mohinish Chawla, IG, Border Range, said investigations were still under progress to identify sleeper cells involved in sneaking explosives to India for creating law and order problem, especially when the Republic Day and Assembly elections were round the corner. According to sources privy to the investigations, the IED was smuggled into India with a drone. There was different module used in sneaking this IED (from Dhanoe Khurd village), while RDX seized from Gurdaspur was smuggled by another module. The police had booked gangster Sukh Bikhariwal, who was deported from Malaysia along with Sukh Ghuman, Tharanjot Singh besides ISYF chief Lakhbir Singh Rode and fugitive gangster Arsh Dhalla in the case.
21-Jan-2022
The Punjab Police January 21 thwarted a possible terror attack around the Republic Day and recovered a 40-mm Under Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL) with two compatible grenades, 3.79 kg RDX, nine detonators, and two sets of timer devices from Gurdaspur. The recovery was made on the disclosure of Malkeet Singh, a resident of village Gazikot in Gurdaspur who was arrested January 19 by the Gurdaspur Police based on a tip-off in a terror module and conspiracy case. The consignment of explosives was sent from across the border by Pakistan-based International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) chief Lakhbir Singh Rode. Senior Superintendent of Police Nanak Singh said, “An FIR naming Rode, Sukh Bhikhariwal, Sukh Ghuman, Malkit Singh and Arshdeep Singh Dalla has been registered at the Dinanagar police station. Of these, Malkit Singh of Gazikot village has been arrested and the recovery was made after we interrogated him. Sukh Bhikariwal is lodged in Tihar jail and we will be bringing him here on a production warrant. A manhunt has been launched to nab the remaining accused.”
21-Jan-2022
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on January 21 said it has conducted at five locations in Taran Tarn, Fazilka and Ferozepur districts of Punjab in connection with its investigation into the bike Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast case of Jalalabad in the state. The NIA official said, “During the searches conducted today, electronic gadgets, ammunition, documents and other incriminating materials have been seized.”