KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
03-Aug-2020
A Delhi court directed the city police to provide a man with a copy of an FIR registered against him. The man, identified as Rajkumar alias Lovepreet Singh is accused of being a Khalistan sympathiser who, along with others, was planning to execute people and extort others for money in various north Indian states on the directions of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)-sponsored Khalistan leaders.
03-Aug-2020
The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust invited Giani Harpreet Singh, the acting Jathedar of the Akal Takht, to the bhoomi pujan ceremony being organised in Ayodhya on August 5 for the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya in Faizabad district of Uttar Pradesh.
03-Aug-2020
Pro-Khalistani group, Dal Khalsa wrote a letter to the Akal Takht Jathedar saying that no Sikh must attend the event as a community representative. The letter from general secretary Parmjit Singh Tanda says, “Sikhs are a third religio-political entity in this sub-continent. They should not become part of any celebrations of one religion at the cost of other’s sentiments, especially in an event that has a history of controversy. For us, keeping cordial relations with both the communities (Hindus and Muslims) on equal grounds is in our quami (community) interests.”
02-Aug-2020
Police seized 261 kg of poppy husk from three vehicles in Abohar in Fazilka district. However, the occupants managed to flee taking advantage of the dark.
02-Aug-2020
Punjab police busted another Pakistan-backed cross border drugs and weapons smuggling racket, with the arrest of two smugglers including a BSF constable, posted along the Pakistan border in Tarn Taran district. According to Director General of Police (DGP) Dinkar Gupta, the Jalandhar rural police had recovered a .30 Bore Pistol (made in China), along with 5 live rounds and ₹24.50 lakh as drug money, from the three, identified as Surmail Singh, Gurjant Singh and BSF constable Rajendra Prashad.
02-Aug-2020
India is preparing to bring back around 700 more Sikhs who are being 'tortured' in Afghanistan. These Sikhs will be brought back in several batches. Earlier, the first batch of 11 Sikhs reached India on July 26.
02-Aug-2020
According to reports, the past few months have seen much intimidation and threats meted out to the Sikhs in different parts of Pakistan. Sikh girls have been kidnapped and converted and attempts were made to convert a Gurudwara. Ironically, this is happening at a time when the Pakistan government has put in an extra effort to woo the Sikhs and invite them across the border from India to the Kartarpur Sahib Gurudwara. This comes at a time when Pakistan is encouraging and funding the revival of a nascent Khalistan movement.
01-Aug-2020
The Border Security Force (BSF) troops seized 2.9 kg heroin near border outpost (BOP) Old Mohammadi Wala in Ferozepur district in the wee hours.
01-Aug-2020
Police arrested a person after recovering 2,000 intoxicant capsules and 175 intoxicant injections from his possession in Phillaur in Jalandhar district.
31-Jul-2020
India praised Canada for disavowing the Punjab Referendum 2020 campaign organized by the pro-Khalistan group Sikhs For Justice (SFJ). India believes that in clearly disavowing the referendum the Canadian Government has set a precedent that should be emulated by other countries, particularly in the West. A senior official said, “Canada taking a lead is good start,” adding that the position was that this stand now “put pressure” on others to follow suit.
30-Jul-2020
The Punjab government informed the Punjab and Haryana High Court that all websites being launched by outlawed Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) are being banned soon after they are noticed by the authorities. The court was also informed that 116 WhatsApp groups related to SFJ had been banned and 16 FIRs had been registered against the organisation.
30-Jul-2020
The Haryana government and the Centre also submitted to the Punjab and Haryana High Court that all the state authorities as well as the departments of the Union of India were aware of the threat posed by Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) and all possible steps to counter every anti-national activity were being resorted to.
30-Jul-2020
A Kapurthala court granted bail to a 65-year-old resident of Akala village of Bholath, identified as Joginder Singh Gujjar alias Goga, who had been booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) on July 2. Bholath Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Jatinderjit Singh submitted that till today, no evidence had come to the light suggesting that the accused was a member of the Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) or any other unlawful association. He also submitted that there was no evidence to prove that he had participated or propagated the activities of SFJ’s Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
29-Jul-2020
The Punjab government told Punjab and Haryana high court that it is blocking all sites that are being launched by the banned pro-Khalistan group, Sikh For Justice (SFJ). The state responded to fresh application filed by one Bikramjit Singh Bajwa, a Mohali resident, who had demanded that necessary steps be taken against the SFJ, which, he said, has suddenly become very active furthering the cause of separate state for Sikhs.
29-Jul-2020
The banned pro-Khalistan group, Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) has planned to hold voter registration camps for its secessionist agenda 'Referendum 2020' on August 15 in front of Indian embassies in seven countries, including the US and the UK. Besides the group is learnt to have plans for similar camps in Canada, Italy, Germany, France, Australia and New Zealand when Indian embassies there will be celebrating India's Independence Day on August 15. Indian security agencies have warned embassies in these countries to be on alert.
29-Jul-2020
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said he will do everything under the law as needed to protect the security and integrity of Punjab and of the nation, and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal’s threats could not deter him from ensuring the safety of his people. Pointing to the increasing attempts by Pakistan’s ISI to infiltrate terrorist modules and smuggle weapons into Punjab from across the border, the CM said his government was committed to taking whatever steps necessary, as per the law, to protect not just the state but India from these elements. There were forces bent on destabilising the nation by fomenting trouble and promoting the separatist ideology citing the Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) Khalistani agenda. “Sukhbir should know that SFJ has been declared an unlawful organisation and its chief Gurpatwant Pannun had been designated a terrorist by the Indian government, and, as such, the police force of all states, including Punjab, were duty-bound to take all legal action to fight their attempts to subvert national security,” the CM said.
28-Jul-2020
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) condemned attempts to encroach upon a historic shrine dedicated to Shaheed Bhai Taru Singh in Pakistan and convert it into a mosque. SGPC president Gobind Singh Longowal asked the Union Ministry to take up the matter with its counterpart across the border.
27-Jul-2020
The intelligence agencies warned that the designated terrorist outfit and pro-Khalistan group Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) has started targeting soldiers of the Sikh community in the Indian Army, threatening them to desert the force. They have alerted the armed forces and security establishments about the terrorist outfit’s nefarious activities. Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has been backing the malicious campaign launched by the SFJ. The SFJ is instigating Sikh defence personnel in the backdrop of the recent martyrdom of four Sikh soldiers in Ladakh sector during the recent clashes with Chinese troops at Line of Actual Control. The intelligence agencies also alerted that “Besides exploiting open social media platforms, the outfit is also using the encrypted chat platforms particularly WhatsApp for disseminating these inflammatory messages”. “The call is a pre-recorded one with the fwd number being+1 (617) 390-7018, likely to be belonging to Massachusetts, North America,” the agencies stated. SFJ members in the call are “motivating Sikh Indian soldiers not to get martyred for India”. They are inciting people by saying that India has a history of “not supporting Sikh people that is why they should leave Indian Army”. As per the message, Sikh people are being asked to join the ‘Sikhs For Justice’ campaign wherein on joining they will get Rs 5,000 more than their present salary in Indian Army.
27-Jul-2020
Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh urged the Centre and Punjab government to stop arresting innocent Sikh youths in Punjab under the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). He said that, “There is a dire need to order an independent judicial inquiry in this regard as poor Dalit youths in Punjab were being targeted.” The Jathedar made the statement after meeting a deputation led by Bholath Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) Sukhpal Singh Khaira, who sought his intervention into the “rampant” arrest of Sikh youths after allegedly implicating them in terror cases.
27-Jul-2020
India lodged a strong protest with Pakistan against attempts allegedly being made to convert a historic Sikh Gurudwara into a Mosque at the Naulakha bazaar in Lahore. India ‘expressed its concerns in the strongest terms’ over an incident where an attempt was allegedly made to convert the Gurudwara ‘Shahidi Asthan’ - the site of the "martyrdom of Bhai Taru Singh ji" in 1745 - into the Masjid Shahid Ganj in Lahore. New Delhi said that the Gurudwara “is a place of reverence and considered sacred by the Sikh community” and that “this incident has been viewed with grave concern in India”.
27-Jul-2020
The Border Security Force (BSF) seized two plastic bottles containing around 1.5 kg of heroin from Ferozepur sector in Ferozepur district. According to BSF, the smugglers were trying to push the consignment across the Indian territory along the zero line in Ferozepur sector, but their attempt was thwarted by the BSF troops.
27-Jul-2020
The members of the SAD (Amritsar), along with other Sikh organisations held a protest march against the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for interfering in the state over the Referendum 2020. They were protesting against the suicide committed by the Sangrur youth at Amb Sahib Gurudwara on July 13, after he was summoned by the NIA.
27-Jul-2020
Police arrested a drugs peddler, identified as Naveen Kumar and recovered 20 grams of heroin from his possession in Phagwara in Kapurthala district.
26-Jul-2020
A day after India welcomed Canada's decision to reject 'Referendum 2020', the banned secessionist group Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) launched a portal from Canadian cyberspace to kickstart voter registration for the Khalistan Referendum in Jammu and Kashmir. The landing page of portal www.Canada4Referendum2020.ca conspicuously displays the red and white national flag of Canada merging with Khalistan flag. However, intelligence agencies claimed, they could not find any support to the SFJ's announcement which claimed to give Rs 2,000 to every novel coronavirus infected persons in the Valley irrespective of their religion. Earlier, SFJ had used a similar Canadian portal to propagate its anti-India agenda in Delhi to demand Khalistan, on July 19 but it failed because of action taken by Indian law enforcement agencies. A similar activity regarding referendum 2020 voter registration in Punjab on July 4 was also foiled by the agencies.
26-Jul-2020
The national spokesperson of the Akali Dal Manjinder Singh Sirsa said that injustice is being meted out to the Sikh community as the site of the martyrdom of Bhai Taru Singh ji at Naulakha Bazaar in Lahore, Pakistan is being claimed as the place of Masjid Shahid Ganj. “Sikhs even when they are the most humanitarian community are called Goonda by mischievous extremist elements in Pak who refuse to honour History,” Sirsa tweeted. He appealed to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to warn such extremist elements in Pakistan and take immediate action to save the Shaheedi Asthaan from illegal squatters.