KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
02-Mar-2023
Notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi was sent to judicial custody by a local court after the completion of his remand period on March 2. Bishnoi's attorney Deepak Chouhan said that the gangster was produced before the court through a video conference.
02-Mar-2023
The police in Delhi and Punjab were warned by intelligence agencies that pro-Khalistan elements may attempt to disturb communal harmony by attacking Amritpal Singh and would try to inflame sentiments in the aftermath. The agencies have also alerted about the terrorist outfit, Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), threatening to storm the IGI Airport building in Delhi with Khalistani flags and unfurl one on top ahead of the G20 summit. Also, intelligence agencies have asked that the police to keep a close check on the funds that the Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal is receiving. Security agencies also suspect that Amritpal Singh is receiving financing aid from Pakistan's Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) to be promoted as Bhindranwale 2.0 on social media.
02-Mar-2023
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on March 2 criticized the central government for "taking a U-turn" on Balwant Singh Rajoana's release in the Supreme Court. He also stated that this had hurt the Sikh community's sentiments. He also stated that it was shocking that the central government had turned down its commitment to release nine Sikh prisoners on the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak in 2019.
02-Mar-2023
Police searched some houses of suspected drug peddlers and addicts in Panjpir Colony, Jammu Basti, Dharam Nagari and Seetogunno Road in Abohar in Fazilka district on March 2. However, most of the suspects were not available in their houses during the search. According to reports, Abohar has emerged as a gateway for drug smuggling from the neighbouring state of Rajasthan. Many truck drivers have also been arrested while carrying drugs in the past. The Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Avneet Kaur Sidhu, who conducted the search, said, “The aim is to eliminate drug trafficking and protect the people.”
02-Mar-2023
Faridkot police on March 2 arrested five alleged drug dealers in Surghuri village of Faridkot district. According to an official, three of the five peddlers were arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, while the other two were under investigation.
02-Mar-2023
According to reports, senior police officials from northern states and Union Territories, on March 2, decided to create a special working group so that local law enforcement officials could frequently exchange information and coordinate their efforts to combat the drug problem. In a meeting organized by the Chandigarh Police on March 2, the officials held a thorough discussion on the drug problem and its sources, the substances, the routes, etc., and strategies to combat it.
02-Mar-2023
‘Waris Punjab De’ head Amritpal Singh, in an interview on March 2, said that, "(Our) Ultimate goal is Khalistan. Khalistan is our destination, the struggle for it is our path ahead. Khalistan is the ultimate solution to every problem we have right now.” Speaking out against his allegation of being labeled an ‘ISI agent, he said, "The propaganda to brand anyone who discusses the Panth or Punjab as an Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agent is not new". “Someone who recognizes the issue and attempts to solve it is subjected to this type of blame game when others who should be repairing the societal system fail to do so. I am Sikhi's servant”, he stated.
01-Mar-2023
The foreign secretary of the United Kingdom (UK), James Cleverly on March 1 assured that violent attacks on Indian residents will be closely monitored by UK police and security services, and that appropriate measures will be taken to stop such illegal activity. While addressing the G-20 summit in New Delhi, Cleverly said that "We take the security of people very seriously. Our police and security services always pay close regard to such activities and if it is an illegal activity, we act upon it."
01-Mar-2023
The pro-Khalistani propagator and self-proclaimed leader of ‘Waris Punjab De’ Amritpal Singh on March 1 stated that he will go before the Akal Takht over the issue of carrying the saroop (copy) of Guru Granth Sahib to Ajnala Police Station during the protest on February 23. He also said that there were historical examples and references to back up his claim that their actions at Ajnala as it did not violate the maryada. “If Akal Takht Sahib Jathedar summons us and asks us to clarify the issue, we will surely appear there. We will have no hesitation in doing so. We will go there to present our side,” he said.
01-Mar-2023
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on March 1 filed a supplementary chargesheet against three operatives of the banned Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) in a case of seizure of weapons, ammunition, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Haryana in 2022. According to an NIA spokesperson, charges were brought against the accused Akash alias Akashdeep, Sukhbir Singh alias Jashan, and Jarmalpreet before a special court in Panchkula under sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Arms Act, and the Explosives Substances Act.
01-Mar-2023
According to sources, the Indian army and intelligence agencies conducted tests on recently installed indigenous anti-drone spoofers and jammer systems in Jammu and Punjab bordering areas of Pakistan and it has produced satisfactory results against weapons, explosives, and drug-carrying drones launched by Pakistan terror groups. The army purchased 30 jammer and spoofer devices, each for the Jammu and Punjab sectors, and placed them along the western border for testing. The devices have been working efficiently for more than three months and stopped drones from crossing into Indian border.
01-Mar-2023
Police arrested two Jalandhar-based drug smugglers along with 100 kg of poppy husk and 600g of heroin at a checkpoint in Sujanpur, close to Pathankot in Pathankot district on February 28. They were identified as Taranjit Singh and Kishan Lal, who smuggle drugs to Punjab from J&K. During this search operation, a Station House Officer (SHO) got injured.
01-Mar-2023
Former diplomat KC Singh on February 28 said that the self-proclaimed Khalistani separatist Amritpal Singh should surrender his passport since he doesn't consider himself as an Indian citizen. KC Singh, chief of the Sunehra Punjab Party, also said that Amritpal should get his identification from United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) as a stateless person because “Khalistan exists only in his head.”
28-Feb-2023
According to reports, in the wake of Anjala violence, Punjab police have stepped up their efforts by training their personnel in Gatka, a form of Sikh martial art. Keeping in mind the situation of law and order in the state, the Punjab police began training about two weeks ago.
28-Feb-2023
On February 28, Waris Punjab De head Amritpal Singh visited to honour the death anniversaries of two militants. One was observed at Manochahal village in Tarn Taran district for Bhindranwala Tiger Force (BTF) chief Gurbachan Singh Manochahal, while another was observed in Chabba village in Amritsar district for Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) Sukhdev Singh Chabba. During both gatherings, Amritpal Singh was offered 'siropas' (robe of honour) by the organizers. When addressing the public, Amritpal defended his recent act of carrying the Guru Granth Sahib to Ajnala. "Only Guru Granth Sahib can guide us from darkness to light," he said.
28-Feb-2023
Punjab government on February 28 transferred 18 police personnel, including the Amritsar Commissioner of Police, with immediate effect. According to sources, sixteen of the 18 police personnel are Indian Police Service (IPS) officers and two are Punjab Police Service officers who got the transfer. They were transferred days after the Ajnala police station incident.
27-Feb-2023
On February 27, the Border Security Force (BSF) recovered five packets of heroin, weighing 2.6kg, that had been smuggled from Pakistan, near Mehndipur village in the Bhikhiwind subdistrict of Tarn Taran district.
27-Feb-2023
According to sources, intelligence agencies found that pro-Khalistan entities (PKEs) held several gatherings over the previous two years to campaign for Khalistan among young people in Punjab and other parts of the country. Amritpal Singh, a Khalistani separatist, is alleged to have spoken with several pro-Khalistan entities (PKEs) while residing in Dubai before moving back to India last year. According to sources, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is looking into Khalistani entities with ties to Dubai in various terror finance cases. But intel agencies have not yet been able to gather any information on Amritpal.
27-Feb-2023
Mohkam Singh, who was a close associate of Khalistani leader Bhindranwale, on February 27 said that carrying the Guru Granth Sahib to the Anjala protest site was inappropriate and that Sikhs had "condemned" Amritpal for doing so. He also said that "Amritpal is yet to prove his credentials".
27-Feb-2023
The chief of Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, in a video posted on social media on February 27 threatened to “storm and target” New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport with Khalistan flags during the upcoming G20 Foreign Ministers Summit in New Delhi. The video also shows slogans written "Punjab is Not India" and "Khalistan Zindabad" by the outlawed pro-Khalistan group at the Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Office Complex of Rode village in Moga district of Punjab. Pannun in the video further said that the graffiti is aimed to communicate to the foreign ministers of G20 countries that “Punjab is not a part of India”. “This message is for the G20 foreign ministers. Punjab is not India. SFJ will storm and target the New Delhi Airport with Khalistan flags,” he said.