KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
13-Jan-2013
Smuggler Bhupinder Singh was arrested by BSF from the Dera Nanak Sector of Gurdaspur District and recovered one country made Pakistani pistol, two magazines, 15 rounds of ammunition, along with 15 kg heroin valued around INR 750 million in the international market.
08-Jan-2013
BSF troopers recovered 11 kilograms of heroin along with FICN with a face value of INR 1.2 million near Border Outpost Khalra in Amarkot sector of Ferozepur District.
31-Dec-2012
The ISI is using smugglers in Punjab. Pakistan is relying on narcotics smugglers to push FICNs into India. A charge sheet was filed in a special court in Mohali District, against three narcotics smugglers Dilbagh Singh, Bikramjit Singh, and Gurpratap Singh. The accused admitted to having brought FICN consignment earlier also, and apart from FICN they also brought arms and ammunition from Pakistan into India.
31-Dec-2012
Police arrested five persons for pasting anti-national posters at many places in Bhikhi and Budhlada towns of Mansa District. Issued by a group named Maut de Parwane (lovers of death), the posters called upon people to "follow Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale as, presently, minorities are not safe in India." The posters also exhorted pliable targets to take to arms. Separate cases of waging war against the nation and spreading communal hatred have been registered against them.
11-Dec-2012
The Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, R.P.N. Singh, told the Lok Sabha that LeT, IM, BKI, and KTF are interested in carrying out militant attacks in India but there are no inputs about the Taliban. He further said, "The central intelligence agencies have no specific inputs indicating (a) threat from the Taliban." He added that intelligence inputs show that the four groups, including LeT, have "abiding interest" in carrying out militant violence in India. Some people abroad are sending money to "certain intermediaries" in Punjab to revive terrorism in the State.
27-Nov-2012
Union Minister of State for Home Affairs R.P.N. Singh replied to a question in Lok Sabha that various militant groups including LeT, IM, JeM, HuM, Al-Umma, Al Badr, HuJI, HM, BKI, KZF, and KTF are engaged in militant activities in the country and as per available information militants in India are often supported by their parent outfits based abroad particularly in Pakistan.
25-Oct-2012
The State Special Operation Cell (Counter Intelligence unit) of Amritsar Police arrested two cross-border smugglers, identified as Jassa Singh and Harpal Singh, and recovered five kilograms of heroin worth INR 250 million in the international market and INR 0.225 million FICN. The duo was indulged in cross-border smuggling of heroin and FICN and was delivering them to different destinations like Amritsar and Delhi.
24-Oct-2012
A person named Rajbir Singh Yadav is arrested by Ludhiana Police and he is believed to be the mastermind behind a gang involved in extortion and circulating FICN printed in Pakistan. The gang had smuggled some INR 40.5 million FICN through their Pakistan-based contacts identified as Shahid and Qasim. Rajbir is on the wanted list of Nepal Police while several criminal cases have also been registered against him in Kolkata, Bhopal, and Punjab.
11-Oct-2012
The BSF seized an assault magazine with 18 rounds of ammunition along with nine kilograms heroin valued around INR 45 crore, a mobile phone and two SIM of Pakistan's Zong mobile network near Rajatal village in Amritsar District. BSF stated that Pakistan based smugglers had used PVC pipe to smuggle heroin and ammunition from across the border fence. The smugglers also left behind a small quantity of opium. BSF mentioned that when they challenged, three Pak smugglers. They started spraying bullets on troops, who retaliated and opened fire. This made the smugglers flee back.
11-Oct-2012
The Government has decided to provide security to Brigadier (Retired) Israr Rahim Khan, involved in Operation Blue Star.
08-Oct-2012
BSF recovered 2-kilogram heroin near India- Pakistan International Border (IB) in Khalra or Tarn Taran District.
08-Oct-2012
A goods train arrived in Amritsar of Punjab from Pakistan contained 105 kg heroin valued at INR 5.25 billion in the International market and 500 cartridges of Magnum 397 bore revolver valued around INR 200,000 lakh concealed in cement bags were seized.
08-Oct-2012
BKI still has a large network of sleeper cells across Punjab, confirmed by the NIA sources. BKI’s Leaders Wadhwa Singh and Mehal Singh were making efforts to revive militancy in Punjab. Both Wadhwa Singh and Mehal Singh were believed to be in Pakistan recently, are also learnt to have made some trips to Germany, where too the BKI is said to have a large network of sympathisers, in order to raise funds for the organisation. Intelligence officials have told the NIA that in Pakistan Wadhwa Singh and Mehal Singh had regular meetings with top ISI officials, who have pledged full support to them.
05-Oct-2012
An attack in London, on Lieutenant General K.S. Brar, who commanded Operation Blue Star, has prompted the NIA to take a closer look at the pro-Khalistan activism and fund-raising by radical Sikh organizations supposedly working for the welfare of incarcerated Sikh militants, as well as cyber sites openly promoting the Khalistan cause. At least two such organizations, the Sikh Organization for Prisoner Welfare (SOPW) and Punjabi e-paper 'Rozana Spokesman' have come under NIA, which is probing cases involving "active" remnants of Sikh militant groups such as BKI. The NIA suspects a possible attempt by certain foreign-based pro-Khalistan leaders and Pakistan's ISI to revive militancy in Punjab and is probing possible sources of terror financing for the project.
04-Oct-2012
A top UMHA official said that the Punjab government had assured the Centre in June that only a gurudwara was being constructed inside the Golden Temple and not a memorial for Sikh extremists killed in the 1984 operation. However, UMHA has received reports, contrary to claims of the Punjab government, that works on an 18-feet memorial is on and photographs of extremists like Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale would be prominently displayed inside the memorial, once completed. A team of UMHA, hence, would go to Amritsar and Chandigarh to convey the Centre's concerns to the state government.
04-Oct-2012
To discuss over a memorial inside the Golden Temple (Amritsar District) for those who died in Operation Blue Star, UMHA decided to send a team of officers to Punjab. A section within the intelligence and security establishment also expressed concern and told the ministry about the repercussions of having such a memorial inside Golden Temple.
30-Sep-2012
British national Jaswant Singh Ajad, actively working for banned militant organizations BKI, KZF, and KTF was arrested from the Focal Point area of Jalandhar District. An Italian made 9 mm pistol and two magazines having 15 rounds were recovered from him. He has a strong relationship with the banned militant organization BKI led by Wadhwa Singh Babbar, KZF led by Ranjit Singh Neeta, KTF led by Jagtar Singh and Parpinder Singh of Scotland and others. Ajad was financing the militant modules to reunite them, he was also managing the sleeper cells of militants by providing them money, networking, and hideouts. A case under sections 120-B, 121, 121-A IPC, 25 Arms Act 10, 13, 17, 18-B, 20, 38, 39, 40 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967 has been registered against him.
24-Sep-2012
The FIR registered against Panch Pardhani leader and former militant Daljit Singh Bittu names three others believed to be in Pakistan those booked by Police are Wadhawa Singh, ‘chief’ of the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), Ranjit Singh Neeta of the Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) and Jagtar Singh Tara of the Khalistan Tigers Force. Daljit Singh Bittu was arrested by the Police on September 21, 2012, and has been booked under the Arms Act, Explosives Act and for anti-national activities. The police had raided his residence and office and also confiscated the laptop and computer found there. Bittu has also been accused of threatening witnesses of the 2007 Shingar cinema blasts, which killed six people and injured thirty. The FIR says Bittu and three other militants were planning to revive terrorism in Punjab. Bittu has been accused of promising to provide a hiding place for the men. Meanwhile, police are reportedly trying to piece together the funding trail. Police revealed that they know where this money is coming but for courts, we need concrete proof. Moreover, need to check whether this money is or will be used to spread violence in the state.
06-Sep-2012
Nehchal Sandhu, Intelligence Bureau (IB) Cheif, stated that militants focusing on Punjab and neighbouring states posed a challenge. Intelligence Inputs revealed that Pakistan based BKI Chief Wadhwa Singh Babber’s group and other militancy groups like KCF and KZF are making efforts to destabilize Punjab. Fresh inputs also indicate that Jagtar Tara, one of the three assassins of late Punjab CM Beant Singh, who is absconding following his escape from a Chandigarh jail in 2004, was playing an active role in trying to revive militancy.
04-Sep-2012
Minister of State for Home Jitendra Singh on Lok Sabha mentioned that Pakistani Intelligence agency ISI providing patronage and assistance to various Sikh militancy in Punjab. Arrested Sikh militants revealed that short term modules are being run in Pakistan for training gullible Sikh youths from India and abroad.
03-Sep-2012
According to NIA, more than two dozen websites and 50 groups on social networking sites trying to revive movement for an independent Sikh state. Some sites are www.neverforget84.com and www.prisonerwelfare.com. These sites have videos, images, and details of prisoners and militants who died during the 1984 riots and Operation Bluestar. According to an NIA official, “The ISI is also reportedly keen on forging coordination between Khalistani militants, militants operating in J&K and some fundamentalist groups and in this process Jagtar Singh Tara who escaped from Burail Jail in 2004 is favoured by the ISI to revive the Khalistan movement.”
03-Sep-2012
Investigation revealed that the terror outfit, BKI has active support from ISI. It received more than INR 800 million in the last four years to fund its militants. The probe has also revealed that a joint committee is in place to coordinate the activities of major militant organizations in which Gurdial Singh Lalli of ISYF, Resham Singh of BKI and Harmeet Singh of Komagata Maru Dal of Khalistan are the prominent leaders. NIA has initiated a probe into the funding of BKI and is soon going to register a case against it and foreign NGOs under the UAPA and the IPC. According to the investigators, there are other NGOs based in Canada, UK, and Germany who have donated money to BKI’s cause for revival of the Khalistan movement. The agency has found that a chunk of money came via hawala (illegal money transfer), legal bank transfers and human courier.
02-Sep-2012
The Minister of State for Defence M.M. Pallam Raju, while inaugurating NCC Academy constructed at Rupnagar District in Punjab, stated that the security mechanism at the Indo- Pak border would be further strengthened to deal with smuggling of narcotics in Punjab from across the border.
01-Sep-2012
The Mohali Police arrested a BKI militant, Kulwant Singh alias Guddu, who was arrested from Sahora village, near Kharar in Mohali District. A .315-bore double-barrel pistol, 11 live cartridges, some letter pads of BKI and some other objectionable material has been seized from his possession. He planned a major extremist operation in Punjab during the forthcoming festival season. Guddu was trying to recruit members in a bid to revitalize BKI. He was liaising with senior BKI militants abroad to revive the outfit. He planned to murder someone but Police did not divulge further details. Punjab Police are now trying to identify the people Kulwant was working with.
29-Aug-2012
Police recovered 12 mobile phones during their recent search to locate a tunnel on the Nabba Jail (Patiala) Premises’ gymnasium. Sikh militants lodged in Nabha jail were illegally running a gymnasium and were in touch with fugitive militants living abroad on the mobile phone. The jail has a total of about 650 inmates, but the gym facility was being used "exclusively" by the 50-odd Sikh militants. The entire equipment was seized by the Police on August 24. The gymnasium was set up by the pro-Khalistan Sikh Organisation for Prisoner Welfare (SOPW). Mobile call details of jail inmates revealed that the militants were in constant touch with their colleagues in Germany, the UK, other European countries, the US and the Middle East. Possibilities are there that militants were using voice over internet protocol (VOIP) technology to make overseas calls. Mobile tower locations have shown that the calls were made not only from the jail but also from places en route to the District courts. The SIM cards were purchased based on fake identities.