KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
08-Oct-2020
The Border Security Force (BSF) recovered four packets of heroin weighing 3.8 kilograms worth INR 180 million in the international market along the International Border (IB) at Ferozepur sector in Ferozepur District. During the current year so far, the BSF has seized 427.784 kilograms of heroin valuing over INR 21.23 billion in the international market.
06-Oct-2020
Police arrested a drug peddler, identified as Krishan along with 300 intoxicant tablets from Rupewali village in Shahkot in Jalandhar district.
06-Oct-2020
Police arrested a drug peddler, identified as Raj Kumar alias Raju and recovered 300 intoxicant tablets from his possession in Rame village in Jalandhar district.
06-Oct-2020
Police arrested a man, identified as Lakhvir Singh along with 500 grams poppy husk in Kohar Kalan village in Shahkot in Jalandhar district.
05-Oct-2020
According to the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, 560 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act were registered in Ludhiana commissionerate (Ludhiana CP) in 2019, which placed it at number seven position among the districts and police commissionerates of the state. Jalandhar rural and Sangrur were at number one and two spots with 955 and 807 such cases. In 2018, Ludhiana commissionrate was at ninth place in such cases with 495 being registered under the NDPS Act in that year. Analysis of the sub-categories of the NCRB report of 2019 indicated that Ludhiana CP was at third spot as far as the cases of possession of drugs for personal consumption were concerned with 521 such cases. Sangrur and Patiala were at number one and two spots with 689 and 539 such cases, respectively, in 2019.
04-Oct-2020
The Border Security Force (BSF) recovered one kilogram of heroin along the International border (IB) in the Amritsar sector in Amritsar district. During patrol duty, the BSF troops recovered two plastic bottles carrying the drug.
04-Oct-2020
Punjab Police busted a Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) terror module with the arrest of two terrorists, identified as Makhan Singh Gill alias Amli and Davinder Singh alias Happy, from Noorpur Jattan village in Hoshiarpur district. Police also recovered sophisticated arms and ammunition, including an MP5 sub-machine gun (with two magazines and 30 rounds) and a 9mm pistol (with two magazines and 30 rounds), besides an Etios car, four mobile phones and an Internet dongle. The Director General of Police (DGP) Dinkar Gupta said that during preliminary investigations, Makhan disclosed they were in touch with Canada-based Harpreet Singh, who had instigated them to set up a terror module in Punjab to carry out targeted killings. Makhan, who had earlier been a close aide of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) chief Wadhawa Singh Babbar, claimed KZF operative Harpreet was a frequent visitor to Pakistan and was an associate of Pakistan-based KZF chief Ranjeet Singh, alias Neeta. The DGP also said that Makhan was a hardcore pro-Khalistan militant who had earlier been arrested by the Punjab Police for involvement in arms smuggling and various terror-related offences. As many as seven cases had been registered against him. Pakistan-trained Makhan had stayed in the US during the 1980s and 90s. He had also stayed with the BKI chief in Pakistan for over 14 years, added the DGP.
04-Oct-2020
Punjab Police arrested two drug smugglers, identified as Simranjeet Singh alias Simran (26) and Balram Singh (26) from near Kartarpur in Jalandhar district when they were on a heroin delivery mission. The duo were arrested in a follow-up action on the recently busted international drug and weapon smuggling racket operated by former BSF Constable Sumit Kumar alias Noni. A 7.65 mm pistol with Italy marking, heroin, drug proceeds, two mobile phones, two Wi-Fi dongles and a racing bike were recovered from the accused.
03-Oct-2020
The Khalistani secessionist group Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) has announced a reward of $10,000 for hoisting Khalistan flag at Shambhu toll plaza at Punjab-Haryana border in Patiala district during farmers rally on October 4. Intelligence aAgencies warned both Punjab and Haryana police to be on alert as the US-based SFJ's General Counsel Gurpatwant Singh Pannun has given the call for raising Khalistan flag at Shambhu border to highlight its agenda that "independence from India is the only permanent solution". During the farmers rally at Shambhu border, SFJ's referendum ambassadors will try to register votes for the outfit's 'Referendum 2020' agenda and will distribute literature to educate farmers about the permanent solution to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's agricultural reform bills, agencies informed.
03-Oct-2020
Police recovered 600-kg poppy husk and 65,000 sedative tablets by intercepting a truck on the Abohar-Sriganganagar highway in Ferozepur district. The driver of the truck, Karamjit Singh Kamma was arrested. Preliminary interrogation reportedly indicated that the consignment was to be delivered in Katora village near Muktsar.
01-Oct-2020
The Indian Army issued a statement rubbishing the claim put out by several Pakistani social media users that Indian Army officer Lieutenant General Taranjit Singh has been arrested on charges of sedition. The Indian Army issued a statement dismissing the claim stating that it categorically rejects such malicious attempts to defame the institution and claimed that a disinformation campaign is being run by Pakistan against the Indian Army and in particular against Lt Gen Taranjit Singh.
30-Sep-2020
The Delhi High Court declined to entertain a PIL seeking action against social media platform Twitter for being allegedly involved in a conspiracy to promote anti-India propaganda such as Khalistan movement, saying that the plea was based on claims and no representation about it was made to the Centre. The bench allowed the petitioner, Sangeeta Sharma, to withdraw the plea to move an appropriate representation before the central government.
29-Sep-2020
According to the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report on “Crime in India”, which was released on September 29, as many as 11,536 cases under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act were registered in Punjab in 2019. Out of these 5,609 were registered for possession of drugs for personal use or consumption and 5,927 for possession of drugs for trafficking. A total of 7,2779 cases under NDPS Act were registered across the country. In terms of numbers, maximum such cases were registered in Maharashtra (14,158), followed by Punjab (11,536) and Uttar Pradesh (10,198).
28-Sep-2020
The Border Security Force (BSF) personnel recovered 6.5 kg of heroin along the International Border (IB) in Ferozepur sector in Ferozepur district. According to BSF, a search operation was carried out near a Border Out Post (BOP) during which six packets of heroin weighing 6.5 kg were seized.
31-Aug-2020
Pro-Khalistan slogans were raised by radical Sikh outfits, including Dal Khalsa and Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) at the Akal Takht in Amritsar on the death anniversary of terrorist Dilawar Singh, an assassin of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh. Prayers were also organized at the Akal Takht in the memory of Dilawar Singh. They also asked the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to install the portrait of Dilawar Singh in the Sikh central museum.
31-Aug-2020
According to reports, two people who were arrested in Punjab for putting up a Khalistani flag on a building, were planning to go to Pakistan with the help of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to receive terror training. According to police, the two arrested persons, Jaspal Singh and Inderjeet Singh Gill were planning to go to Nepal from Delhi. From there, the ISI sleuths would have taken them to Pakistan for terror training. The plot involved luring more youth from Punjab to join them in Pakistan. According to the police, both Singh and Gill used to watch YouTube channels supported by pro-Khalistani outfits and had become members of Sikh For Justice (SFJ) group through WhatsApp.
31-Aug-2020
A Moga court on August 31 evening sent Inderjit Singh and Jaspal Singh, arrested by Delhi police in Khalistan flag hoisting case, in five-day police remand. Both were produced in the court under tight security. Earlier, a police team from Moga had got the transit remand and had brought them from Delhi, where they were arrested on August 29 evening.
31-Aug-2020
Saffron flags with Khalistan written on them were put up at the market committee office at Bhucho in Bathinda district and at a flyover on the Bathinda-Chandigarh highway. The flags were removed when police noticed these on August 31 morning. According to reports, some slogans in favour of Khalistan too were raised by unidentified persons.
31-Aug-2020
The former Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) president Manjit Singh GK hailed Akal Takht’s initiative of honoring Sikh activist Bhai Gajinder Singh “Hijacker” while nailing those creating hue over this move. Manjit Singh GK questioned the credibility of those opposing Akal Takht Sahib’s move of honoring Bhai Gajinder Singh. He asked why such people remained tightlipped when the perpetrators of the 1984 Sikh genocide were honored with the ministries during Congress’ rule.
30-Aug-2020
The families of the two suspects arrested in Delhi blamed Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the legal advisor of the banned Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) for “spoiling the lives” of their children ‘in the name of Khalistan’. Father of one of the accused, Jaspal Singh (27), is a Punjab Police Inspector Chamkaur Singh. Chamkaur Singh said that his son has been arrested because he did took part in the act. “My son has not been implicated falsely. He should be punished. But we demand that Pannun should also be arrested and given the strictest possible punishment. He is the one who is misleading the youth in Punjab in the name of Khalistan and spoiling their lives. He has spoiled my son’s life too”. Chamkaur Singh said that Jaspal was an aspiring kabaddi player, but an injury to the spine during a match ended his dream.
30-Aug-2020
Ludhiana MP (Member of Parliament) Ravneet Singh Bittu on August 30 took yet another jibe at Akal Takht acting jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh over their plans to observe a religious function in the memory of the assassin of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh in the Golden temple complex in Amritsar. In a tweet on the eve of 25th death anniversary of his grandfather, Bittu, said, “August 31 will be a decisive day this year. This is the day when Beant Singh Ji sacrificed his life for Punjab and the nation. If Jathedar Sahib, under the direction of SJF (Sikhs for Justice) & Pannu (its convener) holds an ardaas for Dilawar Singh at Akal Takht Sahib, who was a prominent Khalistani and an assassin, it will provide evidential proof that the Jathedar stands for Khalistan & is working to fulfill SFJ’s paid agenda to disturb harmony and peace in Punjab (sic).”
30-Aug-2020
The Akal Takht has decided to confer the “Panth Sewak” award on radical outfit Dal Khalsa founder Gajinder Singh, one of the five men accused of hijacking an Indian Airlines plane to Lahore in 1981. India had put Gajinder’s name in the list of 20 most wanted terrorists in 2002. An Akal Takht official said it was decided during a meeting of five Sikh head priests recently to confer the award on Gajinder Singh. He said the Akal Takht will shortly issue an official notification in this regard and fix a date to honour him. Gajinder Singh is currently residing in Lahore, Pakistan.
29-Aug-2020
The Border Security Force (BSF) recovered 14 packets of heroin weighing approximately 14.7 kilograms in Abohar sector in Fazilka district.
29-Aug-2020
The Special Task Force (STF) officials arrested two persons, identified as Balwant Singh and Mukul and recovered 30-gram heroin from their possession from near the old bus stand in Phase VIII in Mohali in SAS Nagar district.
29-Aug-2020
The Akal Takht decided to confer the ‘Panth Sewak’ award upon Dal Khalsa founder Gajinder Singh, who led his aides in hijacking an Indian Airlines plane to Lahore in 1981 and is one of the “most wanted persons” on the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA)’s list. Gajinder’s name is on the list of 11 Sikhs the highest Sikh temporal seat has finalised for various awards. However, the list has not been announced officially.