KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
03-Feb-2020
In its latest tactics to step up the proxy war against India, Pakistan has now stooped to narco-terrorism to cause more damage and harm to India, says experts. According to experts, Pakistan has been vigorously supporting the widespread supply of drugs in the Indian state of Punjab, which will be spoiling an entire generation of youth in the state.“This is a double threat for India as Pakistan is not just working towards 'damaging the youth of Punjab', but is also making millions of rupees that are subsequently used to fund terrorism in Kashmir and other parts of the country”, said an expert.
02-Feb-2020
The Indian intelligence agencies suspect that the killing of Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) leader, Harmeet Singh alias Happy PhD is the fallout of a rivalry between three groups over control on drug money. An official said that, “There is an ongoing rivalry between Pakistan-based Khalistani groups led by Harmeet Singh, Khalistan Zindabad Force’s Ranjit Singh Neeta, and Paramjit Singh Panjwar of the Khalistan Commando Force. Initial reports suggest that drug money has been a major factor.”Harmeet Singh was wanted by various Indian agencies, including the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Punjab Police, in 17 cases.The official also added that the recent spurt in trafficking of Afghan-origin heroin through traditional sea routes via Pakistan had led to generation of huge money for the syndicates that were also being used to push weapons into India for terror activities.
02-Feb-2020
The BSF personnel and some villagers reportedly spotted a drone-like object along the Indo-Pak border in Jalalabad subdivision of the Fazilka district of Punjab on February 2 evening. Jalalabad Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Jaspal Singh Dhillon said that the entire area had been searched to rule out dropping of drugs or arms in the area, but nothing was found.
01-Feb-2020
The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested an arms supplier of the militant outfit Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF), identified as Ashish Kumar from Roorkee in Haridwar District of Uttarakhand. According to Police, Ashish Kumar, who hails from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, was wanted in a case of attempt to murder lodged at Mohali district of Punjab in 2018. He had allegedly supplied weapons to KLF members involved in the killing and attack on some Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) members in Punjab. The Additional Director General, ATS, D K Thakur said that Ashish used to supply weapons to one Gugni Grewal, who is considered a close aide of slain KLF leader Harmeet Singh alias Happy PhD. Kumar also confessed that he had sold eight pistols to Gugani over the past three years.
01-Feb-2020
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed an application for obtaining the mobile and computer data of an accused booked in connection with the September 5, 2019, Tarn Taran bomb blast in which two persons were killed while making the explosives. The NIA court in Mohali issued notices to the defense counsel of the accused to file the reply and fixed February 3 as the next date of hearing.
01-Feb-2020
Police arrested a person, identified as Rahul Bishnoi (26) along with 1.3 kg of opium from the Sriganganagar-Suratgarh bypass in Abohar in Fazilka district.
01-Feb-2020
The Special Task Force (STF) of the Ludhiana police arrested a car trader, Raman Dhawan and his accomplice, Nitin Khurana along with 3.1 kg opium and Rs 44 lakh drug money near Chhabra Colony at Pakhowal Road in Ludhiana on February 1.
01-Feb-2020
Three prisoners, identified as Vishal (22), Gurpreet (34) and Jarnail (25) escaped from Amritsar Central Jail on the intervening night of February 1-2.
31-Jan-2020
According to sources, Pakistan's Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) has turned several chiefs of Khalistani terror outfits based in Pakistan into drug smugglers who are destroying a generation of youth of Punjab and other parts of India. Smuggling of weapons and drugs by Pakistan-based Khalistani terror chiefs has resulted in a rivalry among the militant Sikh Groups who are competing for the ISI's patronage and each one of them is trying to outperform the other in smuggling drugs like heroin in India, report said. It was the result of rivalry among the Khalistani militant groups based in Pakistan that on January 27, the ‘chief’ of Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF), Harmeet Singh alias Happy PhD, was killed at the Dera Chahal Gurudwara near Lahore by a local gang over financial disputes stemming from drug smuggling.
31-Jan-2020
The Special Task Force (STF) of Punjab Police arrested an Afghan national, Arman Basharmal, involved in refining heroin along with five others including a woman during a raid on an illegal manufacturing unit in Sultanwind in Amritsar. The STF recovered 194 kg of heroin, 38 kg of a synthetic drug and 207 kg of chemical from their possession. The STF also seized a gas burner, commercial cylinders, utensils and a mixer grinder from the spot. As per report, it is after nearly seven years that a drugs manufacturing unit has been busted in Punjab. Earlier, an illegal factory run allegedly by Ravi Kandola gang was busted.
31-Jan-2020
The Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh asserted that he would not spare anyone found implicated in the case related to the recently busted major narco-terror racket, irrespective of their political affiliations. Making it clear that his government would not allow drug smugglers, narco- gangsters and narco-terrorists to spread their wings in the state, which had witnessed massive decline in the number of deaths due to drug abuse, as a result of the efforts of the government and the police.
30-Jan-2020
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) would again take the voice samples of the nine accused Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) terrorists for their involvement in smuggling of arms using drones from Pakistan to Indian Punjab through the International Border. Barring Gurdev Singh, all other accused in the case, Akashdeep Singh, Balwant Singh, Shukhdeep Singh, Mann Singh, Sajanpreet Singh and Malkit Singh appeared in the NIA court in Mohali.
29-Jan-2020
The killed Khalistani terrorist, Harmeet Singh alias Happy PhD was among the list of 15 pro-Khalistan activists active in Pakistan in the garb of making preparations for celebrating the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev in November 2019. According to Indian intelligence agencies, India, during the second round of Kartarpur Corridor talks between India and Pakistan in Wagah in July 2019, submitted a 23-page dossier of 15 pro-Khalistani activists residing in Pakistan, containing events from the past four years to Pakistan. The dossier also included the year-wise pictorial details of key Khalistani elements in Pakistan and their anti-India activities on social media.
29-Jan-2020
The Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) has changed its nomenclature from Sikh Referendum 2020 to Punjab Referendum 2020 and invited members of other religions, besides Dalits. According to report, after failing to get any response for their referendum 2020, SFJ, through their posters circulated on social media, has extended the program to all communities and invited Dalits to join the campaign. According to Punjab Police, SFJ had abandoned the Sikh referendum movement and shifted its stance after it got no response from the Sikh community over its separatist agenda. Police officials also said that there was an outcry over anti-national activities of the SFJ. The SFJ leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in his recent video posted on a Facebook group titled 'Sikh Referendum 2020' besides the Sikhs and Muslims, can be seen appealing to all Christians and Hindus to vote for his dream project referendum 2020. "This is also for all the Muslims and Christian brothers that the referendum is not closing. We will be sending the registration forms to every household and the voting will start on June 6, 2020. Hindus having immovable property in India cannot vote as there are some restrictions," Pannun said.
28-Jan-2020
The news of Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) ‘chief’ Harmeet Singh alias Happy PhD’s killing in Lahore in Pakistan on January 27 brought relief to Indian security agencies, especially the Punjab Police, which had got nine red corner notices issued against the terrorist leader. Happy PhD, who was a PhD student in religious studies at Guru Nanak Dev University in Amritsar in 2008 and later became the ‘chief’ of terror outfit KLF, remained a headache for the Indian security agencies for more than 11 years. He was one of the most active Khalistani terrorist in Pakistan and was allegedly involved in almost every terror attack, radicalisation of youths and drug smuggling in Punjab since 2008. His name first appeared in terror-related activities on November 5, 2008, when the Makhu police of the Ferozepur police district named him in an FIR for having received a cache of weapons and ammunition from Pakistan to kill Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. However, Police couldn’t arrest him in that case. Later, he reportedly moved to Pakistan where he rose through the militant ranks fast and became the KLF ‘chief’ in a few years. According to police, Happy PhD was considered the main link between Khalistani and Kashmiri militants. He also ran a network of funding terror activities and smuggling through Dubai-based smuggler Jasmeet Singh Hakeemzada.
28-Jan-2020
Special Task Force (STF) arrested a drug smuggler, identified as Varinder Kumar alias Sonu (25) and recovered 360 grams of heroin from his possession in Sector 39 area in Ludhiana, Punjab. During preliminary questioning, he revealed that he had been smuggling drugs for the past more than four years and he was his way to supply the contraband to his clients.
26-Jan-2020
The Director General of Police (DGP), Punjab, Dinkar Gupta said that Punjab is the safest state in the country but it being a border state, the police have to remain ever vigilant. He also said that under the Police Forces Modernization scheme, construction of new buildings of existing 95 police stations is underway in Punjab and for this purpose a loan of Rs 150 crore has also been availed from HUDCO (Housing and Urban Development Corporation Limited). The DGP also added that to curb ‘the glorification of arms and drugs culture in songs’, police would hold meetings with the singers and take appropriate action against the offenders.
26-Jan-2020
The websites of Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) was suspected to be hacked by a group called ‘Dalit Hacker’. The group said that it celebrated India's Republic Day by hacking the website.
25-Jan-2020
A local court in Ludhiana sentenced a drug peddler, identified as Paramjit Singh to 12 years rigorous imprisonment after he was found in possession of 8 kg opium. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1.2 lakh on the convict.
25-Jan-2020
The Canadian High Commissioner to India Nadir Patel, when asked about the pro-Khalistan activities in Canada in an interview, said that, “If there are any laws that are being broken, we will act on those. But Canada does not support the creation of another state or the separation or break-up of India. You can take that in the context of that topic [pro-Khalistan] or any other separatist movement. We very much respect Canada’s charter of rights that provides for freedom of expression. But if these freedoms are impeded upon, we will act on that right away.”
25-Jan-2020
The Punjab bandh (general shutdown strike) called by the radical Sikh outfits, Dal Khalsa and SAD (Amritsar) against the CAA and the NRC evoked lukewarm response in most parts of the state barring Amritsar. According to reports, markets and commercial establishments remained opened in most parts of the state as protesters at a few places faced opposition from shopkeepers for trying to forcibly down the shutters of their shops. The officials said that protest remained peaceful in the state.
24-Jan-2020
Two persons out of three, who were named in the FIR registered at Sriganganagar under the NDPS Act on December 13, 2019 were arrested in Fazilka district of Punjab. The accused persons, identified as Gurpreet Singh Monu and Gurjinder Singh Sonu were arrested in connection with recovery of 64 kg of poppy husk from Netewala-Kaluwala bypass on December 13.
23-Jan-2020
The Special Task Force (STF) of Ludhiana Police arrested four drug smugglers and recovered 2.20 kg of heroin from their possession in Ludhiana. The arrestees were identified as Jagdev Singh Jaggi (32), Parminder Singh Minna (30), Sonu Ghalot (29) and Harpreet Singh (24).
23-Jan-2020
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) supported the demand of Sikh bodies for removal of folk dancers’ statues installed by the previous SAD-BJP government on Heritage Street in Amritsar. The SGPC decision came after a meeting of a four-member committee constituted by the Akal Takht to resolve the issue. SGPC senior vice-president Rajinder Singh Mehta, one of the members of the committee, said that they respect the sentiments of the Sikh community on this issue. He said the administration should take decision on the statues at the earliest, but did not say what kind of decision the committee wants.
23-Jan-2020
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh urged Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to ensure the safety of a Sikh leader Radesh Singh Tony who has alleged persecution by fundamentalists in that country.