KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
14-Sep-2018
The Bhindranwale Tiger Force of Khalistan (BTFK)—a pro-Khalistan militant group has claimed the responsibility of the ‘low-intensity’ blasts at the Maqsudan Police Station in Jalandhar District of Punjab on September 14 night. Reportedly, a letter with the letter-head stated ‘Bhindranwale Tiger Force of Khalistan’ (BTFK) went viral on the social-media platforms, claimed the responsibility of the attack. The letter also warned the Police personnel not to unnecessarily harass the people. However, the authenticity of the letter is yet to be ascertained.
21-Aug-2018
Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC)’s President Manjit Singh G.K. has claimed that he and his family members were attacked in New York, US by few alleged Khalistani supporters. The Government of India is closely cooperating with the governments of different countries to address the concerns of anti-India activities undertaken by such elements in those countries, said Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Hansraj Gangaram Ahir. Manjit Singh had tweeted the incident to the Minister of External Affairs (MEA) Sushma Swaraj.
19-Aug-2018
The BSF recovered six plastic bottles filled with heroin weighing six kg in total, from river Sutlej near Joginder Border Outpost in Abohar Sector in Fazilka District in Punjab. The bottles flowed-in from Pakistan with the current of river. The recovered heroin is worth INR 30 Crore in the international market.
17-Aug-2018
The BSF officials recovered two Pakistan-based SIM cards, and 330 grams of heroin nearby the Old Mohamddi Wala Border Outpost in Ferozepur Sector in Punjab.
12-Aug-2018
The Sikhs for Justice (SFJ)— a United States (US) based Human Rights advocacy group with pro-Khalistan ideology, held a “London Declaration” on an independence referendum for the Indian state of Punjab at Trafalgar Square in London on August 12, 2018.
24-Jul-2018
The Dal Khalsa and ShrimoniAkali Dal (SAD) (Amritsar) inquired the Sikhs For Justice (SFJ)—a pro-Khalistan organisation, to clarify the doubts in its Sikh Referendum 2020 proposal. The ‘president’ of Dal Khalsa—Harpal Singh Cheema and ‘president’ of SAD-Amritsar—Simranjit Singh Mann expected that the SFJ leadership would announce their thoughts to the people of Punjab regarding the practicality of their ‘Referendum 2020’ proposal during an upcoming event on August 12, 2018 in London, UK. However, Punjab’s Chief Minister (CM) Captain Amarinder Singh has stated that the organisation such as SFJ are seeking to divide the State with its campaign—Referendum 2020, and there is a need to counter this propaganda more aggressively.
23-Jul-2018
Depicting itself as a ‘biggest victim’ of Pakistan-sponsored Narco-terrorism, the State of Punjab has approached the Central government to seek a special category status under the National Health Protection Scheme (NHPS) that provides financial support to the families of victims.Punjab has emerged as the biggest victim of a proxy war waged against it by Pakistan, for which Pakistan has used Narcotics as its silent weapon, wrote Punjab’s Health Minister Brahm Mohindra in a letter addressing Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda.
18-Jul-2018
As per the inputs from Intelligence agencies, two Khalistani militants—Lakhwinder Singh and Parminder Singh, are likely to execute an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack on the Parliament House in New Delhi around India’s Independence Day in August. Considering the input, Delhi’s security has been elevated under ‘multi-layered’ security parameters. The militants shall arrive in Delhi in an explosives-laden Toyota-make Innova car with Uttar Pradesh vehicle registration number. The names given by the informer—Iqbal matches with the terrorists ran away in Nabha jail break incident in Punjab in November 2016, said an unnamed official.
12-Jul-2018
In a joint operation conducted by the BSF, Ferozepur District Police and the STF, 2.77 kilogram of heroin and 50 Pakistan-made rounds of .30 calibre pistol were recovered from the Border Outpost of Jagdish Sector along with the India-Pakistan border. The STF also arrested Baldev Singh who is resident of Nihalewala village of Ferozepur District and alleged cross-border drug peddler.
12-Jul-2018
The pro-Khalistan campaign—Referendum 2020 was launched in London, UK, to determine if Sikhs shall have an independent State—Khalistan. The announcement of the campaign made by the Sikhs For Justice (SFJ)—a pro-Khalistan organisation was welcomed with a ‘sharp reaction’ from the Indian government. The Indian government has seen the reports regarding this and the matter has been taken up with the UK government. We [Indian government] have also issued a demarche to them. In response, we expect that the UK government would not allow any group whose intentions is to spread hatred and to impact the bilateral relations of India and UK, said the Ministry of External Affairs’ Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar.
10-Jul-2018
The pro-separatist Sikh organisation—Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) - offered the Sponsor category Visa of the UK to youth and political activists from Punjab to attend a gathering regarding the pro-Khalistani campaign of “Referendum 2020” which is scheduled on August 12, 2018, in London, UK. SFJ is organising the free stay for the visitors from Punjab (India) from August 10 to 14 for the pro-Khalistani activities in London, said the New York-based legal advisor of SFJ Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
11-Jun-2018
Punjab Police officers investigating the alleged role of the British citizen—Jagtar Singh Johal for his involvement in the death of RSS activist Ravinder Gosain, received death threats targeting them and their family members. Jagtar Singh Johal was arrested in November 2017, a fortnight after his wedding, for the murder of RSS member Ravinder Gosain in Ludhiana District, Punjab. The arrest of Johal had become a rallying point for Sikh groups based in the UK, during the visit of Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi to UK in April 2018, several members of the Sikh community protested at Parliament Square against the arrest, said an unnamed senior government official. The British PM Theresa May raised the arrest of Johal with PM Modi.
10-Jun-2018
The Member of Parliament (MP) from Ludhiana Constituency—Ravneet Bittu received a threat on his twitter handle, from Sikh radicals during an event - ‘Referendum 2020 Khalistan’ organised in California State, US. Ravneet Bittu is trying to label US and Canada based campaigners as terrorists. Bittu’s attempts to thwart the legal process will be answered with equal force, read the tweet posted by the Sikhs For Justice (SFJ). Punjab’s Chief Minister Amarinder Singh’s twitter handle was also ‘tagged’ in the tweet. I have brought it to the notice of the concerned authorities, said Bittu.
02-Jun-2018
The BSF and the Punjab Police carried out a joint operation in which a drug smuggler, Jiwan Singh, resident of Gajni wala village in Ferozepur District, Punjab was arrested and 12.7 Kg of heroin worth INR 65 crore was recovered from nearby India-Pakistan border in the Abohar Sector in Fazilka District in Punjab. Jiwan Singh was involved in cross-border drug peddling and had connection with smugglers in Pakistan. A cellular phone with Pakistani SIM card was also recovered from Jiwan Singh.
02-Jun-2018
The Punjab Police on June 2 arrested two Sikh radicals, Dharminder Singh aka Commando Singh and Kirpal Singh from Batala Tehsil, Gurdaspur District in Punjab. Both, Dharminder Singh and Kirpal Singh were planning to create unrest in Punjab ahead of 34th anniversary of the 1984 Operation Blue Star on June 6. Reportedly, Dharminder Singh has been serving in the Territorial Army—105 TA Rajputana Rifles in New Delhi. The Police has recovered a .30 calibre revolver, a .30 calibre pistol, stencils of ‘Khalistan Zindabad’ slogans, posters of the Sikh referendum 2020, and some spray paint bottles from Dharminder Singh’s possession, said IG (Border Range- Amritsar) S.P.S Parmar, and SSP of Batala—Opinderjit Singh Ghumman. Acting on specific information, a Police team arrested Dharminder Singh from his residence in Harpura Village, Batala Tehsil, Gurdaspur District in Punjab. Later, Kirpal Singh was arrested from his village upon confession of Dharminder Singh. In their confession, the accused revealed that they were radicalised and were being funded by their foreign-based Khalistani handlers, including Gurpatwant Singh Pannun who is a legal adviser of the Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) organisation, Paramjit Singh Pamma from United Kingdom (UK), Mann Singh from UK, and Deep Kaur from Malaysia, to promote the propaganda of ‘Liberation of Punjab’—funded by Pakistan’s ISI, said IG Parmar and SSP Ghumman during a press conference. A case under Sections 307, 438, 427, 148, 149 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered at the Ranger Nangal Police Station.
30-May-2018
In the case of anti-National activities, the main accused of assassination of Punjab’s former Chief Minister Beant Singh, Jagtar Singh Tara was produced in the court of Additional Session Judge Kanwaljeet Singh Bajwa but due to non-appearance of the statements of witnesses in the court, the hearing in the case was adjourned till June 14. On the next hearing, Jagtar Singh Tara would be attending the court proceedings via video conferencing facility.
23-May-2018
The Chargesheet filed by the NIA against 15 people in the case of targeted killing of RSS leader Ravinder Gosain in Punjab, has revealed the modus operandi including recruitment, training and funding of the killings. It revealed that how accused Hardeep Singh aka Shera and Ramandeep Singh aka Canadian were radicalised into executing the killing.
19-May-2018
The NIA filed Chargesheet against 15 people, including British citizen Jagtar Singh Johal, in connection to the targeted killings in Punjab. Along with JagtarSingh Johal, the Chargesheet was filed against— Hardeep Singh Shera, Ramandeep Singh Canadian, Dharminder Singh Guggni, Anil Kumar aka Kala, Amaninder Singh aka Mindu, Manpreet Singh aka Mani, Ravipal Singh aka Bhunda, Pahad Singh, Parvez aka Farru, Malook Tomar, Harmeet Singh aka Happy aka PhD aka Doctor (suspected to be in Pakistan), Gurjinder Singh aka Shastri (suspected to be in Italy), Gursharanbir Singh akaGurusharan Singh Wahiwala aka Pehalwan (suspected to be in the UK), and Gurjant Singh Dhillon (suspected to be in Australia).The Investigation has revealed that the killings of Satpal Sharma and his son—Ramesh Sharma of Dera Sacha Sauda, and Durga Gupta—Punjab wing leader of Shiv Sena, were part of transnational conspiracy executed by senior leadership of the Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF). The people who were targeted belong to specific community or organisation. It is clear that the objective behind these killings is to destabilise the law and order situation and revival of terrorism in Punjab, claimed the NIA. The Chargesheet was filed under Sections 302, 34, 379, 416, and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Sections 16, 17, 18, 18-A, 18-B, 20, 21 and 23 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act [UA(P)A] and Sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act.
14-May-2018
The Intelligence Bureau (IB) has submitted a report to the UMHA which states that pro-Khalistan groups are hiring local criminals to conduct terrorist activities and revive militancy in Punjab. The Police officers, District Magistrates (DMs), senior IAS and IPS officers shall be alerted about the ‘covert’ activities, suggests the report. The IB report also suggested the State government to make a list and keep an eye on the local criminals. The Intelligence inputs have revealed that a pro-Khalistan group based in the UK has started a campaign through social media urging the people of Punjab to join the Khalistan struggle.
14-May-2018
The NIA filed chargesheet in the murder cases of Amit Sharma and Pastor Sultan Masih in the Special NIA court in Mohali, Chandigarh. The NIA has chargesheeted 11 people including British-citizen Jagtar Singh Johal under Sections 302, 34, 379, 416, and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Sections 16, 17, 18, 18-A, 18-B, 20, 21, and 23 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act [UA(P)A], and Sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act. Along with Jagtar Singh Johal, 10 people who have been named in the Chargesheet include, Hardeep Singh Shera, Ramandeep Singh Bagga, Pahar Singh, Dharminder Singh Gugni, Anil Kala, Parvez, Malook, Amaninder Singh, Ravipal Singh, and Manpreet Singh. The NIA claimed that four other people, Harmeet Singh alias PhD, Gursharanbir Singh, Gurjinder Singh Shastri, and Gurjant Singh be declared proclaimed offenders in the case.
10-May-2018
The Punjab Police arrested Sandeep Singh and Amar Singh, an alleged Khalistani radicals supported by an Australia-based Khalistani outfit—International Sikh Federation (ISF), from Kotkapura of Faridkot District and recovered two .30 bore pistols, and 40 live ammunitions from their possession. The Police had received a call that a motorbike has collided with a SUV on the NH between Faridkot and Kotkapura. When the Police approached the location, the duo were trying to escape from the location on their motorbike. However, the Police team managed to arrest them, said Faridkot SSP Nanak Singh. During the interrogation, they claimed to be in contact with Gurjant Singh—resident in Australia and ‘Head’ of ISF who indulged them into radicalisation over the Facebook. The members of the terror module that was busted by Punjab Police on May 29, 2017, had come together to form a sub-group called Khalistan Zindabad (KZ). This outfit is linked to the website of Gurjant’s ISF.
07-May-2018
The NIA has registered a FIR against Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a resident in Canada and Khalistani militant, for allegedly planning terrorist attacks in Punjab. Against Nijjar, a case was registered under Sections 120-B, 124-A, and 153-A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Sections 10, 16 and 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act [UA(P)A], and Section 25 of the Arms Act after the recommendations from the UMHA. According to the FIR, Nijjar and other members of the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) planned to promote disharmony among different groups on the basis of religion and to revive terrorism in Punjab. The FIR also linked Nijjar’s associates with the conspiracy to target the members of RSS.
06-May-2018
The founding member of new Sikh youth group—Sikh Liberation Front (SLF), Moninder Singh has claimed that in “Khalsa tradition”, use of force is permissible and justified as the last resort in the situation. The group—SLF comprises of Sikh youth from the groups based in Canada, the US and the UK. However, the Khalistan movement does not necessarily to be associated with violence every time. Self-resistance, resistance against the State, and Self defence—these modes sometimes require people to resist in many different ways which also includes armed struggle, said Moninder Singh. Reacting to Moninder Singh’s statement, an unnamed senior Indian government official has said that such blatant exhortation to violence aimed at India cannot be tolerated.
04-May-2018
The NIA filed chargesheet in the Special NIA court in Mohali, Chandigarh against 15 people in connection with the killing of RSS leader Ravinder Gosain on October 17, 2017, in Ludhiana District of Punjab. The investigation revealed that killing of Ravinder Gosain was a part of transnational conspiracy executed by the senior leadership of the Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF). The objective of the conspiracy is to destabilise the law and order and revival of terrorism in Punjab. As part of the conspiracy, a large sum of funds was supplied through Italy, Australia and the UK to the perpetrators of the killings or attempted killings, by Hardeep Singh and Ramandeep Singh. These funds were used by the duo to purchase weapons for executing the killings and other logistics.
24-Apr-2018
Two months after the ‘controversial’ trip of the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to India, the Canadian authorities acted on the list of alleged ‘terrorists’ given by the Punjab’s CM Captain Amarinder Singh and arrested Hardeep Singh Nijjar—resident of Surrey, Canada last week. Hardeep Singh Nijjar was an accused of three terror cases—2010 bomb explosion in Patiala, 2015 alleged involvement in killing Hindu leaders, and 2016 alleged for conspiracy and financial support to Mandeep Dhaliwal for killing of Hindu leaders in Ludhiana. All three cases are registered in Punjab. In 2015, a Look-Out-Circular (LOC) was issued against Nijjar and in 2016 a Red Corner Notice (RCN) was issued and finally executed in April 2018. The alleged list handed-over by Punjab CM consists of nine people, most of them alleged for their links to International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) and Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF). Reportedly, Nijjar is accused of grooming a module of KTF consisting of five members in 2014. In 2009, he was also accused of murdering Rulda Singh, the then-head of the Rashtriya Sikh Sangat (RSS), an affiliate of the Hindutva ideology organisation— Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).