KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
19-Jun-2020
The Border Security Force (BSF) thwarted an attempt of Pakistani smugglers to push drugs into the Indian territory and recovered four plastic bottles filled with 8 kg heroin in Abohar sector in Fazilka district. According to BSF, the vigilant BSF troops observed movement of mischievous persons ahead of Border Security Fence and challenged them following they fled towards the Pakistani territory.
19-Jun-2020
Six pro-Khalistani supporters who were lodged in Ludhiana Central Jail ended their two-day hunger strike started in an attempt to push jail authorities to give in to their multiple demands. The strike ended after the jail administration allowed some of their genuine demand. However, their other demands including a television set inside jail, special cooked food from outside or grocery and utensils/gas stove to cook their own food and accommodation in common barracks instead of ‘Cell Block’, were rejected.
18-Jun-2020
Punjab Police booked pro-Khalistani leader and legal adviser of the banned organization Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), Gurpatwant Singh Pannun for sedition and unlawful activities, instigating youth of Punjab in favour of ‘Referendum 2020’, provoking the secession of Punjab from India and attempt to spread dissatisfaction among the country’s armed forces or abetting mutiny. Pannun has been instigating people of Punjab through pre-recorded audio message (IVR) from different international numbers mainly from the US for last few months. He was booked under Sections 124-A (waging war against India), 131 (abetting mutiny) 153-A (promotion disunity and disharmony) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Sections 10(a), 13(1) of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). According to reports, the trigger point for registration of the case took place after Pannun reportedly approached the Chinese government for helping him in his anti-India activities. Also, a number of pre-recorded calls emanating from Pakistan were also received by number of citizens, including advocates, journalists and police officials. Some callers claimed they were calling from China or were Chinese and supported Pannun. Police had earlier also lodged two FIRs against Gurpatwant Singh Pannun for his anti-India activities.
18-Jun-2020
Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Dinkar Gupta said that the calls on behalf of Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) from Pakistan proved that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of that country was planning the whole conspiracy. Also, the attempts to involve China, at a time when a bloody clash has taken place between armed forces of both countries, suggests there is a bigger conspiracy against the country through Pannun. “It is highly insensitive that when brave Punjab soldiers had achieved martyrdom fighting Chinese army, Pannun and others were carrying their nefarious designs in causing bloodshed and violence in Punjab. We will never let it happen as Punjabis are living in peace,” said the DGP. He added that it was also unfortunate that the trouble was being created when each resident of the state was fighting against the spread of deadly coronavirus.
18-Jun-2020
Supporters of the pro-Khalistan event - Referendum 2020 - who are lodged in the Ludhiana Central Jail, announced a hunger strike while putting in their demands of a television set, separate cooked food and certain things from outside the jail. The jail inmates who have initiated the strike are Malkit Singh, Sukhraj Singh, Jagdev Singh, Kuldeep Singh, Dharminder Singh and Ravinder Singh. According to authorities, for the time being, the accused are housed in a separate barrack, but they have been told that they will be treated according to the jail manual. The inmates were shifted to Ludhiana from Amritsar jail 15 days ago. They are facing trial under various charges including unlawful activities. The jail officials said the demands put up by the inmates are unrealistic as per the jail manual and cannot be fulfilled.
18-Jun-2020
The Member of Parliament (MP) from Ludhiana, Ravneet Singh Bittu urged Punjab Chief Minister (CM) to file FIRs against singers Diljit Dosanjh and Jazzy Bains and Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh for ‘openly supporting’ Pannun and his organization’s demand for Khalistan. He said the “letter written” by Pannun to China proved that “they empathise with China and condemn India for the violent face-off. The entire nation is still mourning the death of its young soldiers, but these extremists are supporting China to disturb India as well as Punjab’s peace.”
17-Jun-2020
Police arrested a woman drug smuggler, Manjit Kaur alias Akki and recovered 1.2 kg of heroin from her near Kannia village in the Daramkot subdivision in Moga district.
17-Jun-2020
The US-based pro-Khalistan group, Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) made recorded calls to the people in Punjab in Chinese and English languages, instigating Punjabis to register for its 'Referendum 2020' beginning from July 4. In the phone call, a girl identifies herself as a supporter of SFJ from Beijing and asks the people of Punjab to register themselves for Referendum 2020 both in English and Chinese languages.
16-Jun-2020
Police arrested a drug peddler, identified as Harpreet Singh Happy along with 50g heroin and a pistol of .32 bore with two live cartridges at near Gopala Petrol Pump in Ludhiana district.
16-Jun-2020
Police arrested a Punjab Police Assistant sub-inspector (ASI), Beant Singh and his accomplice, Rajinder Singh with 30-gm heroin at Muktsar in Muktsar district.
16-Jun-2020
The US-based separatist group Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) urged Akal Takht acting Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh to perform ‘ardas’ on July 4, when it will begin voter registration for ‘Referendum 2020’ to seek people’s opinion on separate Punjab from rest of India. SFJ has deliberately chosen the date, as it was on this same day in 1955 that police had arrested Sikh leadership demonstrating in support of Punjabi Suba. SFJ’s leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun said “SFJ is opening voter registration in Punjab on July 4, 2020, for non-governmental Referendum 2020 and we seek Sri Akal Takht Sahib’s blessings in this endeavour for Sikhs’ rights.” Sikh scholars in India are of the view that acting Jathedar’s and the SGPC president’s comments on Khalistan had given the Sikh separatists an opportunity to “rope in” Sikh religious leadership.
16-Jun-2020
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Govind Singh Longowal condemned the killing of a Sikh by a white youth in Colorado, US, and appealed to the Central Government to take concrete steps for the protection of Sikhs living in foreign countries.
15-Jun-2020
Indian intelligence agencies identified more than twenty phone numbers of Khalistan extremists, originating from the US, Pakistan and other destinations, used in spreading audio messages in various districts in Punjab. Sources revealed that maximum calls have originated from numbers bearing US code such as (+1 253 533 71XX, +1 405 835 23XX, +1 833 779 04XX). Most of these numbers are being used by banned extremist outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ). A man identified himself as Imran Malik, based in Karachi, called several people in Punjab and Chandigarh, including journalists, and informed them about the secret referendum of Sikhs relating to demand for creating an independent Khalistan state.
13-Jun-2020
According to sources, weapons supplied by Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) key arms supplier Javed, who was recently arrested by the Uttar Pradesh (UP) Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and brought to Mohali, were also used in the killings of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leaders in Punjab, including Brig Jagdish Kumar Gagneja (retired) in 2016. “The arms supplied by Javed were used in the killings of eight RSS leaders in Punjab, besides Gagneja,” sources said. It also revealed that a Special Investigation Team headed by AIG (counter intelligence) Harkamal Preet Singh Khakh has been set up to probe the case.
13-Jun-2020
Days after making controversial remarks on Khalistan issue, the acting Jathedar of the Akhal Takht, Giani Harpreet Singh said that the comments he made were misinterpreted. In a statement issued from Talwani Sabo in Bathinda, the Jathedar said, “Many adverse agencies are making attempts to mislead the youth by misinterpreting his meaningful statement. Such adverse forces are doing this for their political benefit by pushing Sikh on the path of terrorism and inciting Sikhs through social media.” He said that those who are spewing venom against Sikhs are followers of same hate politics and terrorism. “In fact, my statement has hurt those who want to define Sikh with false and hateful idea forcibly attached to the political ideology of Khalistan, people want to satisfy their bosses by inciting them on social media. Beware of such people and create a political movement within the democratic structure so that people from all walks of life in the Punjab region can enjoy a state like Sher e Punjab,” Giani Harpreet Singh emphasized. He also added that “Sikhism could not be defined by the idea of Khalistan alone, Sikhism is the global idea and this idea should bring peace to the world.” Meanwhile, the Jathedar also given a call for launching a democratic movement in Punjab to form a polity on the lines of the one formed by Maharaja Ranjit Singh who founded a Sikh kingdom which was annexed by the British in 1849. “As contemporary central governments discriminated against the Sikhs and betrayed them on the promises made before Independence, the sincere community leaders felt alienated and preferred to fight for concept of welfare state as enshrined in the Guru Granth Sahib. This was not a demonstration of spontaneous struggle or violent inclination, but a reaction to the government’s excesses,” he said. “If Punjab has suffered from prolonged agony, genocide of Sikhs carried out by the government on the pretext of eliminating terrorism is mainly responsible for that. No parent wants their children to be killed in fake encounters and termed as terrorists,” he said.
13-Jun-2020
Police arrested two drug smugglers, identified as Davinder Singh and Balwinder Singh and recovered 1.5-kg heroin from their possession at a check point near Secha village in Kapurthala district . However, three of their other accomplices managed to flee in their car.
12-Jun-2020
Punjab Police arrested third accomplice of the arrested Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorists, identified as Javed Ahmed Bhat (29) while he was trying to flee to Kashmir from Dhobra Bridge in Pathankot. According to Director General of Police (DGP) Dinkar Gupta, Javed hails from the same village as the other two LeT operatives who were arrested earlier and is their childhood friend. The trio had been doing transport business together for the past over two to three years and had been making trips to Delhi, Amritsar and Jalandhar.
11-Jun-2020
The Special Operation Cell (SOC) of Punjab Police got five days’ remand of key arms supplier to Khalistani terrorist, Javed. The court sent the arms supplier to police remand till June 16. Tthe SOC pleaded before the court that they need to interrogate Javed on his links with other terrorist groups, and the sources from where he procured arms and ammunition and got the funding. The SOC submitted that it also wants to ascertain his aides in Punjab and other states of the country. Sources said that Javed was wanted in Punjab for his alleged involvement in the supply of arms and ammunition to Dharminder Singh alias Gugni, member of banned Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF), who was allegedly involved in the murder of a senior RSS office-bearer of Punjab, Brig Jagdish Kumar Gagneja (retired). The NIA is probing the case. Ashish, an accomplice of Javed, was also arrested earlier. Dharminder Singh is currently lodged in Tihar Jail in New Delhi.
11-Jun-2020
Punjab Police arrested two Jammu and Kashmir based Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) operatives, Aamir Hussain Wani (26) and Wasim Hassan Wani (27) from the Amritsar-Jammu highway in Pathankot, and foiled a major attempt to smuggle weapons into the Valley for carrying out terror attacks. Ten hand grenades, along with one AK-47 rifle with 2 magazines and 60 live cartridges, were seized from the suspected militants. The duo, actively involved in transporting automatic weapons and hand grenades from Punjab to the Kashmir Valley.
10-Jun-2020
Police froze assets worth Rs 10 crore of two notorious drug smugglers, including Balwinder Singh alias Billa Havelian, from Tarn Taran district. Assets worth over Rs 8 crore were frozen of Billa in Tarn Taran and Mohali districts. He hails from Havelian village near the India-Pakistan border that has gained notoriety in the past few years for cross-border smuggling of drugs. Billa faces FIRs in 15 cases, including that for drug smuggling from Pakistan and attempt to murder charges, in various districts of Punjab. He has been lodged in a Patiala jail after his arrest in August 2019 with 750-gram heroin.
09-Jun-2020
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) demanded resignation of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) chief Gobind Singh Longowal after he was nominated as the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) core committee member. The national executive member of AAP and Talwandi Sabo legislator Baljinder Kaur charged the Akali leadership with using religion for their political gains and said the SAD should be derecognized as a political party.
09-Jun-2020
The YouTube revoked ban on Akaal Channel in India. The channel was blocked in India during the intervening night of June 5-6 after Ravneet Bittu complained about ‘objectionable content’ aired by the channel.
09-Jun-2020
According to reports, a total of 81.84 kg of heroin worth Rs 409.22 crore was seized by law enforcement agencies between March 24, when the lockdown was imposed, and May 31 along the 550-km-long Indo-Pak border in Punjab. Of this, almost 55 kg contraband was recovered in the Ferozepur sector alone during this period.
08-Jun-2020
The arrested arms supplier to Khalistani terrorists, Javed was sent to three-day police custody by the Mohali court. Police revealed in court that Javed had delivered around 150 weapons to gangsters in Punjab. The Punjab Police special is yet to recover weapons to identify the network of the accused arms supplier in Punjab. Police also revealed that Javed is the only arms supplier for six states, including Delhi, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, and Jammu & Kashmir. Javed was arrested in Hapur in UP on June 7. According to Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) officials, a number of pro-Khalistan terrorists have been caught in western UP and the Punjab Police was searching Javed for quite some time.
08-Jun-2020
Punjab’s Minister of Jail and Department of Cooperation, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa termed the statement of Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) President Gobind Singh Longowal demanding Khalistan as ‘hidden agenda’ of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). He said that by issuing such statements, both SGPC president and Sukhbir Badal want Bargari like incidents to take place once again, which is not in the interest of Punjab and Punjabis in any way. “Does the SAD support the divisive and even secessionist agenda being pursued by the SGPC President?”, he questioned.