KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
15-Aug-2025
On August 15, pro-Khalistani graffiti was found on the house of Mehal Kalan Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Kulwant Pandori and at a nearby bus stand in Mehal Kalan village, Barnala district. Police registered a case after CCTV footage showed two men painting the slogans.
15-Aug-2025
Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann on August 15 led the state-level Independence Day celebrations, hoisting the national flag at Nehru Stadium in Faridkot. He announced a new reward policy to strengthen the anti-drug campaign, the recruitment of 1,600 police personnel, and the introduction of a drug-prevention curriculum in over 3,000 schools.
15-Aug-2025
On August 15, Punjab Information & Public Relations Minister Aman Arora inaugurated the ‘Tarang Helpline’ (9779175050) in Ludhiana to provide psychological support, counselling, and livelihood assistance to drug-affected individuals. He said the initiative aims to help people and families overcome addiction and rebuild their lives with dignity.
15-Aug-2025
Harpreet Singh, president of the reorganised Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) rebel faction, on August 15 in Amritsar, invoked the legacy of Partition, calling it a “religious injustice” that continues to haunt Sikhs. He criticised visa restrictions that hinder Sikh access to historic shrines and lamented that the 1947 division of Punjab and Bengal forced Sikhs to abandon sacred sites in Pakistan, including Nankana Sahib and Kartarpur Sahib.
15-Aug-2025
Police on August 15 arrested three persons for defacing the residence of Mehal Kalan Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Kulwant Singh Pandori with Khalistan Referendum graffiti, identified as Gurmeet Singh alias Todi, Gursewak Singh alias Mani, and Kirpa Singh, and seized a motorcycle used in the crime, two empty spray cans, one full spray can, five mobile phones, and two robes typically worn by Nihang Singhs, in Mahal Khurd village in Barnala district. Initial investigations revealed that Surinder Singh, a United States (US)-based resident, had funded the act by sending INR 20,000 and radicalised the accused through social media.
14-Aug-2025
The Intelligence Wing of the State Special Operation Cell (SSOC) on August 14 arrested two individuals, identified as Harpreet Singh alias Battu, and Gulshan Singh alias Nandu, and seized two bombs, a pistol and some live cartridges from their possession, in Ferozepur district. Based on information provided by them, the Police recovered two more pistols and 10 live cartridges on August 16.
14-Aug-2025
Punjab Police on August 14 foiled a Pakistan-backed conspiracy by arresting two Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) operatives and seizing two hand grenades, a Beretta 9mm pistol, and ammunition, in Ferozepur district. Police stated that the operatives were working under the directions of terrorist Harwinder Singh alias Rinda and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)-backed handlers based in Pakistan, the United Kingdom (UK), the United States (US), and Europe.
14-Aug-2025
Punjab Police’s Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) on August 14 arrested two most-wanted operatives of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, identified as Akshay Delu and Ankit Bishnoi alias Kakkar, and seized an Austrian-made 9 mm Glock pistol along with six live cartridges from their possession, near Shambhu village in Patiala district. The Police revealed that the duo, wanted in over 15 heinous crime cases across Punjab, Delhi, Rajasthan, and Gujarat, were operating under the directions of foreign-based handlers Anmol Bishnoi and Arzoo Bishnoi, and that they had fled to Nepal after earlier crimes and returned to Punjab on their handlers’ instructions to execute a sensational attack.
14-Aug-2025
Punjab Police on August 14 revealed that drug smuggler Gurnam Singh had been placed under preventive detention for one year under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PIT-NDPS) Act in Bathinda district. Officials stated that Singh, involved in multiple drug trafficking cases, had earlier been arrested with 250 grams, 2 kg, and 400 grams of heroin in separate incidents.
14-Aug-2025
On August 14, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) (Crime) and Supervising Officer for Kapurthala, L.K. Yadav, chaired a special meeting at Police Lines in Kapurthala district, where he directed officers from all 15 police stations and eight outposts to enforce a strict zero-tolerance policy against narcotics.
13-Aug-2025
Border Security Force (BSF) troops, in a joint operation with Punjab Police, on August 13, recovered a packet of heroin weighing 600 grams and a drone from fields near Wan village in Tarn Taran district. The seized drone was identified as a DJI Air 3S model.
13-Aug-2025
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) spokesperson Baltej Pannu on August 13 revealed that since March 1, Punjab Police have registered 16,400 First Information Reports (FIRs) and arrested 25,646 individuals in drug-related cases, seizing 1,059 kilograms of heroin, 366 kilograms of opium, 215 quintals of poppy husk, 32.35 lakh intoxicant pills and tablets, and INR 12.32 crore in drug money, across Punjab.
13-Aug-2025
According to reports, more than a month after the murder of Abohar businessman Sanjay Verma, the three main shooters—identified as Shakti, Rajinder alias Billa, and Jaskaran alias Katta—remain absconding, with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang suspected of facilitating their escape to Nepal. Punjab Police have so far arrested seven individuals linked to the case. A Special Investigation Team (SIT), constituted on July 12, is probing possible extortion motives and alleged international links, including foreign remittances traced to suspects’ accounts.
13-Aug-2025
Punjab Police on August 13 busted a narcotics and arms smuggling network by arresting five individuals identified as Vinay Kumar, Major Singh, Kulwinder Singh, Gurpreet Singh, and Gagandeep Singh, and seizing 1.50 kg of heroin and seven .32-bore pistols from their possession in Jalandhar district.
12-Aug-2025
On August 12, Punjab Police and intelligence agencies detained vlogger Amrik Singh from Turna village in Lohian, Jalandhar district, for over 24 hours in connection with his YouTube channel ‘Walk with Turna’ and his December 2024 visit to Pakistan. His wife, Manpreet Kaur, stated that their phones were seized for investigation and the family was initially unaware of his whereabouts. Singh was later released following intervention by local leaders.
12-Aug-2025
The Punjab and Haryana High Court on August 12 ruled that a Punjab Police inspector injured in the 2015 Dinanagar terror attack is entitled to promotion as Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP). The court observed that the state government had consciously decided to promote all personnel injured in the cross-border assault by Pakistan-based terrorists disguised in army uniforms, a policy already implemented for others. The bench noted that the petitioner’s bravery and injuries had been recognised with the President’s Police Medal for Gallantry and the Parakram Padak, and held that denying him promotion while granting it to others was unjust.
12-Aug-2025
Border Security Force (BSF) troops on August 12 recovered three small packets of heroin weighing 1.649 kg and a large packet containing two pistols from fields near Bhakra village in Ferozepur district.
12-Aug-2025
Border Security Force (BSF) troops on August 12 recovered one packet of heroin weighing 609 grams from fields near Daoke village in Amritsar district.
12-Aug-2025
Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, on August 12 in Chandigarh, said that over 5,000 drug-related cases were registered in a year through the ‘Safe Punjab’ WhatsApp chatbot, launched in August 2024 under the ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ anti-drug drive. The portal has become a key intelligence source, enabling major seizures and thousands of arrests under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
12-Aug-2025
Punjab Police on August 12 busted a terror module of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)-backed Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), arresting two operatives, Ritik Naroliya and Sonu Kumar alias Kali, along with three juveniles, recovering a hand grenade, a .30 bore pistol with two live cartridges, and two empty shells, from Tonk and Jaipur districts of Rajasthan. The module, run by foreign-based gangsters Mannu Agwan, Gopi Nawanshehria, and Zeeshan Akhtar under the directions of Pakistan-based BKI operative Harwinder Singh alias Rinda, was tasked with carrying out grenade attacks ahead of Independence Day.
11-Aug-2025
On August 11, Mumbai Police increased security for comedian Kapil Sharma following two shooting incidents within a month at his restaurant, Kap’s Café, in Surrey, Canada. Police said precautionary measures were in place to ensure Sharma’s safety. The Lawrence Bishnoi gang claimed responsibility for the latest attack, citing Sharma’s alleged association with actor Salman Khan.
11-Aug-2025
Indian intelligence agencies, in a joint operation with Nepal Police, on August 11 arrested illegal arms supplier Salim Sheikh alias Salim Pistol and brought him to New Delhi. Sheikh had been detained on August 9 at the Indo-Nepal border. He is accused of supplying Zigana pistols to gangsters including Lawrence Bishnoi and Hashim Baba, and is allegedly linked to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Dawood Ibrahim’s D-Company. Police stated that Sheikh is also connected to several high-profile murders, including that of Sidhu Moose Wala, and is currently in custody under interrogation for his role in multiple organised crime cases.
11-Aug-2025
Border Security Forces (BSF) troops on August 11 recovered a packet of heroin weighing 581 grams from fields near Wan village in Tarn Taran district.
11-Aug-2025
The Delhi High Court on August 11 overturned a 40-year-old acquittal of four men in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case and ordered a retrial for the sole surviving accused, citing a “hasty” trial and serious lapses in the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) probe. The case pertains to the killing of Harbhajan Singh in Ghaziabad’s Raj Nagar, a day after Prime Minister (PM) Indira Gandhi’s assassination, where the victim was set on fire along with his home. The court observed that investigative failures and trial court errors had led to a “miscarriage of justice,” depriving the victim’s family of their fundamental right to a fair trial, and directed the CBI to complete the probe expeditiously.
11-Aug-2025
Dr. Amarjit Singh, a prominent Khalistan movement leader, recently endorsed the forthcoming Pakistani book The War That Changed Everything, which alleges that India’s “Operation Sindoor” in Pahalgam was a false flag operation to justify war against Pakistan. Scheduled for release on August 11, the book claims the four-day conflict harmed India’s military and diplomatic standing while boosting Pakistan’s position. Singh also accused Indian agencies of orchestrating the 2000 Chitti Singh Pura massacre, allegations strongly rejected by Indian officials.