KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
29-Jul-2025
Punjab Police on July 29 arrested an individual, identified as Bharatpreet Singh, and seized two 9 mm pistols, two .30 bore pistols, one .32 bore pistol, and a motorcycle from his possession near the Ibban-Mulechak road in Ibban Kalan village in Amritsar district. According to police, Singh was acting on the directions of a Pakistan-based arms smuggler who used drones to drop weapon consignments across the border.
29-Jul-2025
Punjab Police on July 29 arrested two gangsters of the Fateh gang, identified as Karanpreet Singh alias Giani alias Fateh and Aman alias Amna, and seized four .32 pistols, one .45 pistol and 10 live cartridges from their possession, in Jalandhar in Jalandhar district.
29-Jul-2025
Punjab Police on July 29 busted an inter-state racket of drug suppliers, arrested two smugglers identified as Ravi and Harpreet Singh, and seized 1 kg of heroin from their possession, in Sangrur in Sangrur district.
29-Jul-2025
On July 29, Punjab Police, on day 150 of its “Yudh Nashian De Virudh” campaign, registered 53 First Information Reports (FIRs), arrested 72 drug smugglers and seized 3.4 kg of heroin from the possession across Punjab.
29-Jul-2025
Punjab government on July 29 declared a public holiday on July 31, to observe the martyrdom day of Shaheed Udham Singh in Punjab.
29-Jul-2025
The parallel officiating Jathedar of the Akal Takht Dhian Singh Mand, appointed by the 2015 Sarbat Khalsa, on July 29 rejected the authority of Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj, who was appointed by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) in March 2025. Mand questioned Gargaj’s legitimacy and denounced his summons to Sikh individuals, including Minister Harjot Bains. Various Sikh groups, including Damdami Taksal and Sant Samaj, have also opposed Gargaj’s appointment as violating Sikh traditions.
29-Jul-2025
Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains, while addressing the media at Anandpur Sahib in Rupnagar district on July 29, announced that the Punjab government will commemorate the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur with a week-long event in Anandpur Sahib from November 19 to 25. The programme will include yatras from Srinagar and across Punjab, the Akhand Path Sahib, and a digital exhibition at Virasat-e-Khalsa. A special session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha and various cultural events, including heritage walks and drone shows, are also planned.
27-Jul-2025
On July 27, a video surfaced showing Sikh candidate Gurpreet Kaur being barred from entering the Rajasthan High Court Civil Judge recruitment exam centre in Jodhpur for wearing a kirpan. Akal Takht officiating Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj condemned the incident as a grave violation of constitutional rights and an act of religious discrimination. He called for immediate intervention by Sikh bodies and senior political leaders to address the repeated targeting of Sikh identity.
27-Jul-2025
Special Director General of Police (DGP) (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla, on July 27, revealed that since the launch of the anti-drug campaign ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ on March 1, Punjab Police have registered 14,906 First Information Reports (FIRs), arrested 23,647 drug smugglers, and seized 1,002 kg of heroin, 344 kg of opium, 182 quintals of poppy husk, 14 kg of charas, 365 kg of ganja, 6 kg of ICE, 30.9 lakh intoxicant tablets/pills, and INR 12.03 crore in drug money across the state.
27-Jul-2025
Amritsar police on July 27 busted a Pakistan’s Inter Service Intelligence (ISI) backed cross-border arms and drug smuggling module, arrested five operatives identified as Jobanjit Singh alias Joban, Gora Singh, Shenshan alias Shalu, Sunny Singh alias Ganna and Jaspreet Singh alias Motu, and seized one assault rifle AK Saiga 308 with two magazines, two Glock pistols 9mm with four magazines, 90 live cartridges of an AK rifle, 10 live cartridges (9mm) along with INR 7.50 lakh of drug money, and an I-20 car and three mobile phones from their possession, near Kaler village in Ajnala in Amritsar district. The Police revealed that the group was in contact with Pakistan-based ISI handler Rana and had previously facilitated multiple arms and drug consignments via drones.
27-Jul-2025
On the intervening night of July 27-28, Border Security Force (BSF) troops neutralised drones and recovered 1.150 kg heroin, one pistol along with six drones, from fields near Pulmoran village in Amritsar district. The recovered drones were three DJI Mavic and three DJI Classic models.
26-Jul-2025
The Special Cell of the Delhi Police on July 26 arrested a Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) operative, identified as Karanbir Singh alias Karan, from Gurdaspur district in Punjab. He is a key accused in the April 7 grenade attack on the Quila Lal Singh police station in Batala and is currently under investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). According to the police, Karanbir was in contact with a BKI handler based abroad and had received funds and instructions to execute the attack. His brother, Gursewak, who is also linked to the conspiracy, has already been arrested.
26-Jul-2025
In a letter dated July 26, the party of jailed Khadoor Sahib Member of Parliament (MP) and Khalistani radical Amritpal Singh, Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De), issued a formal clarification denying any association with the Canada-based pro-Khalistani outfit Anandpur Khalsa Fauj International Association (AKFIA). The group, established in Surrey, Canada, in February 2025, has been accused by Punjab Police of recruiting and training Sikh youth for guerrilla warfare. Referring to a March 23 letter by the Punjab Additional Director General of Police (Intelligence), which cited AKFIA’s resolutions as grounds for extending Amritpal’s detention under the National Security Act (NSA), the party stated it had "no type of relation" with the organisation. The statement was also shared on the official X account of Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) on July 27.
26-Jul-2025
Punjab Police on July 26 arrested one unidentified smuggler and seized 1 kg of heroin from his possession, near Lopoke village in Ajnala in Amritsar district.
26-Jul-2025
Punjab education minister Harjot Singh Bains on July 26 issued an apology after a viral song-and-dance performance at a state event commemorating Guru Tegh Bahadur’s martyrdom sparked outrage over alleged violation of Sikh maryada (religious code). The Akal Takht had summoned Bains and state language department director Jaswant Singh Zafar to appear before the Takht on August 1. Bains, calling himself a humble Sikh, said he would present himself barefoot at the Takht and obey its command. Singer Bir Singh, who performed at the event, had already apologised, citing miscommunication by his team via social media sites Facebook and Instagram.
25-Jul-2025
Chheharta police on July 25 arrested one smuggler, identified as Sarbjit alias Joban, along with a juvenile and seized 1 kg heroin from their possession, from Chheharta Sahib in Amritsar district. Police revealed that Sarbjit was in direct contact with notorious Pakistani smuggler Rana.
25-Jul-2025
Amritsar police on July 25 arrested two smugglers, identified as Dharam Singh and Kulbir Singh and seized 6.1 kg of heroin and two bikes from their possession, in Ajnala in Amritsar district.
25-Jul-2025
Counter Intelligence Amritsar on July 25 arrested four smugglers, identified as Manpreet Singh and Ajaypal Singh, Ranjit Singh and Karan Masih, and seized 4 kg of heroin from their possession near Kathania village in Amritsar district.
25-Jul-2025
According to reports published across Punjabi vernacular media on July 25, Khalistani terror outfit Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) chief Wadhawa Singh Babbar issued a three-page written statement warning individuals against extorting money in the organisation’s name. He emphasised that BKI’s struggle has always been guided by Gurmat (the Guru’s teachings) and sustained solely through Dasvandh (voluntary donations) from the Guru-roop Sangat (the congregation viewed as the embodiment of the Guru).
25-Jul-2025
The Uttar Pradesh (UP) Government on July 25 informed the Supreme Court of India that the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) was unable to decipher the contents of a more than 40-year-old illegible First Information Report (FIR) related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Kanpur. Taking note of this submission, the bench observed that if even CFSL experts could not interpret the FIR, no further action could be taken at present. However, the court directed that if a legible copy is found, the matter must be brought to its notice without delay.
25-Jul-2025
The Supreme Court on July 25 directed the Allahabad High Court to expeditiously hear, on an out-of-turn basis, the appeals related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots cases in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh (UP). The bench stressed that further delays could jeopardise the availability of vital witnesses, noting that the investigations were revived only due to the court’s sustained intervention.
25-Jul-2025
Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami on July 25 condemned a government-organised event in Srinagar, in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) marking the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Teg Bahadur, where attendees were seen dancing to Punjabi songs. Dhami stated that the inclusion of entertainment performances was a serious violation of Sikh principles and disrespected the sanctity of the Guru’s supreme sacrifice. He urged the Punjab Government to issue a public apology and ensure that future events respect Sikh Maryada.
25-Jul-2025
Actress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament (MP) Kangana Ranaut, speaking outside Parliament in New Delhi on July 25, claimed that drugs were entering Himachal Pradesh (HP) from Pakistan via Punjab. She warned that without urgent intervention, Himachal could meet the same fate as “some villages in Punjab where only windows and women are left.”
25-Jul-2025
Ropar Range Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Harcharan Singh Bhullar urged public participation in de-addiction and rehabilitation efforts under the ongoing anti-drug campaign ‘Yudh Nasheya Virudh’, while speaking at Gharuan village in Sahibzada Ajit Singh (SAS) Nagar on July 25. DIG Bhullar revealed that over 23,000 arrests had been made in the past 145 days and called on citizens to refer affected individuals to Outpatient Opioid Assisted Treatment (OOAT) clinics and de-addiction centres.
25-Jul-2025
The Punjab and Haryana High Court, on July 25, criticised the Punjab Government’s implementation of its ongoing 'War on Drugs' campaign, raising concerns over alleged misuse of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The court noted a disturbing trend of inflated arrest figures based on minimal drug seizures and coerced statements, suggesting an attempt to manufacture an image of effective enforcement ahead of upcoming elections.