KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
India 01-Nov-2022
Jalandhar Rural police and the Delhi Police in a joint operation arrested five persons having links with Canada-based gangster Lakhbir Singh Landa at Chak Jhandu village of Bhogpur in Jalandhar district. Those arrested were identified as Sanjeev Kumar alias Nanu, and Sandeep Kumar alias Sabi, both of Kartarpur in Jalandhar; Gurbir Singh alias Ginni, of Adampur; and Manpreet alias Mann, and Lovepreet Singh alias Chinni, both of Chheharta in Amritsar. The gangsters, six in all, were reportedly hiding inside a vacant house when the police raided the village around 6 am. As the cops were about to enter the house, a brief encounter took place. The accused managed to escape after firing three rounds and hid in sugarcane fields. Using drones, ropes and dog squads, the police managed to arrest five of them, while the sixth managed to flee. One Glock pistol, two .32 bore revolvers, cartridges and three motorcycles were seized from their possession.
India 01-Nov-2022
Police arrested one person, identified as Balwinder Kumar and recovered 5 gm of heroin from his possession at near the Kangdiwal flyover in Jalandhar.
Pakistan 01-Nov-2022
According to intelligence sources, pro-Khalistan terrorist groups have infiltrated gurudwaras in Pakistan’s Lahore under a “new game plan” by Pakistan in a bid to promote extremism in the Indian Sikh community against Hindus and the Indian government. The intelligence inputs said that the alleged hijacker of the Srinagar-Lahore flight in 1984 was seen meeting Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh in Panja Sahib Gurdwara in Lahore. Pakistan’s game plan as such is to keep Khalistani extremists in gurudwaras in Lahore so that they can “radicalize” Sikh devotees, sources said. Intelligence sources further said the alleged flight hijacker Ravinder Singh Pinka and his associates were meeting Sikh devotees from India, who have gone to Pakistan to observe the 100th anniversary of Saka Panja Sahib. Pinka deliberately clicked a photo with Giani Harpreet Singh. Later, however, when officials of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) were informed about Pinka, the video was immediately taken down from the SGPC website. Sources also said the Jathedar belonged to the entire community and nobody was prohibited from meeting him, and that Giani Harpreet Singh might not even know or recognize Pinka.
India 01-Nov-2022
Police arrested two suspects, identified as Anil Raju Powra (29) and Anveer Jam Singh Powra (24), for allegedly manufacturing and supplying weapons to gangsters in Mohali and recovered 20 country-made pistols and 20 live rounds from them at Kalalda village near Sedwa city in Madhya Pradesh. Police also recovered 20 (.32 and .30 bore) country-made pistols from them. Mohali Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Vivek S Soni and Superintendent of Police (SP) (Investigation) Amandeep Singh Brar said at least 70 weapons had been seized from Mohali district alone that were supplied by this gang. They have been sent to a five-day police custody.
India 02-Nov-2022
The High Commissioner of Canada to India, Cameron MacKay, said that Canada “does not support and does not recognise” the so-called ‘Khalistan referendums’ being carried out frequently in that country by banned Sikh outfits and supports a “united India”. MacKay, said in an interview that holding of such so-called referendums are considered to be a “private activity” in that country and according to Canadian laws “people have right to freedom of assembly, people have the right to freedom of expression”. However, the High Commissioner also said that the Justin Trudeau government strongly believed in and stood for a “united India”.
India 02-Nov-2022
The Jalandhar rural police have got a five-day remand of five persons associated with Canada-based gangster Lakhbir Singh Landa. They were arrested after an encounter and a massive search operation on November 1 from a Bhogpur village in Jalandhar. The police are still on the lookout for another associate, who could not be traced after he went into hiding in sugarcane fields near the house where the six gangsters were staying.
India 02-Nov-2022
The Punjab and Haryana High Court recently observed that the drug peddlers have successfully destroyed the social fabric of society and led youth to the wrongful path. "Such type of persons need to be dealt with firmly and sternly and no sympathy can be shown to them lest that should prove to be counterproductive and result in increased drug trafficking," Justice Ashok Kumar Verma said, while ruling that the petitioner does not deserve the concession of regular bail.
India 02-Nov-2022
A Pakistani drone was spotted thrice inside Indian territory near the SS Wala border outpost area in Jalalabad subdivision of Fazilka district. According to official sources, soldiers of the Border Security Force (BSF) 52 battalion heard humming sound of drone inside the Indian territory on the intervening night of November 2 and 3. They fired some rounds after which the drone returned to Pakistan. A similar sound was again heard by the BSF personnel after some time and they fired upon the object, which again escaped. The sources said the drone was spotted again by the BSF personnel, who fired on it for the third time but it again returned to Pakistan.
India 03-Nov-2022
In a joint operation with Maharashtra Police, Punjab Police arrested three drug smugglers wanted in the 72.5-kg heroin seizure case in Gurdaspur district. Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav in a tweet said, "In a crucial breakthrough, Gurdaspur Police arrests three high profile drug smugglers wanted in 72.5 kg heroin seizure case at Nhava Sheva Port, Mumbai effected jointly by ATS Mumbai and Punjab Police on July 22."
United Kingdom 03-Nov-2022
According to reports, Khalistani supporters of Jaggi Johal (34) who is lodged in Delhi’s Tihar jail, have launched a fresh worldwide campaign to get him freed from India. Johal is a citizen of the United Kingdom (UK). Jaggi Johal alias Jagtar Singh Johal was arrested by Punjab police on November 4, 2017, in Jalandhar under the arms Act. Under the campaign christened “Free Jaggi Now” the Khalistani activists have announced holding protests on November 4, in 5 cities of the United States (US) including New York and California. The Canadian radicals will gather in two cities, Toronto and Vancouver while In the UK protests will be held in four main cities including London and Manchester. The free Jaggi protests are now directed toward the British – earlier they were targeting India – as a recent BBC report revealed that Jaggi was arrested in India on the basis of information provided by the intelligence agencies of the UK. According to the BBC Johal’s activities in the UK as a fundraiser for Sikh separatists active in Punjab were in the knowledge of the British intelligence agencies. He was also involved in translating pro-Khalistan Punjabi literature into English for publication in newspapers and on websites. This information was passed over to the Indian intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) following which Johal was arrested by the Punjab police. Jaggi has been named as an accused in seven cases, five of those being murder charges (targeted killings) and two being attempt to murder charges (attempted targeted killings). Activists and members of right-wing Hindu outfits, the Dera Sirsa followers, and even a Christian activist (a pastor) were targeted in these killings.
India 03-Nov-2022
Stressing the need for solving the Sikh issues, farmers under the banner of Kirti Kisan Union organised a rally at the local Gandhi Municipal Park in Tarn Taran district on Novemebr 3. They also took out a protest march in different parts of the town.
India 03-Nov-2022
India reiterated its concern over certain forces planning a so-called Khalistan referendum in Canada on November 6 and asked to prevent anti-India activities by individuals and groups. The pro-Khalistan group, Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) has proposed the referendum in Mississauga, near Toronto, on November 6. India has also urged Canada to designate as terrorists under its laws those individuals and entities who have been declared as terrorists under Indian laws. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, "I think we have made our position clear a couple of times. Our position on the efforts by anti-India elements to hold a so-called Khalistan referendum is well known. It has been conveyed to the Canadian government both in New Delhi and in Canada." The Canadian government has conveyed to India that Canada will not recognise the objectionable 'Khalistan' referendum organised by the proscribed organisation Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) in Ontario on November 6, the MEA said.
India 04-Nov-2022
The head of Punjab-based right-wing outfit called Shiv Sena (Taksali), Sudhir Suri was shot dead by a local shopkeeper in the middle of a public protest in Amritsar. According to police, Suri was staging a protest outside a temple in Amritsar’s Kashmir Avenue when he was shot at five times by Sandeep Singh alias Sunny, who ran a garment shop outside the same temple. Later, Singh was arrested by the police. Police didn’t immediately attribute a motive but said that they will swiftly move to investigate all aspects of the crime. “The accused told the police that he had never met Suri before. What triggered the accused to kill the Shiv Sena leader is part of the investigation. We are probing the case from all angles and interrogation of the accused is underway,” the Director general of police (DGP) said. However, a car was also parked near the crime spot with stickers on its windows that appeared to be linked to Waris Punjab De Chief Amritpal Singh, who has courted controversy in the past for his comments backing the creation of Khalistan. But the police refused to confirm if the crime was linked to the outfit.
India 04-Nov-2022
According to officials, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a charge sheet against six suspected terrorists of the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) in a case related to the seizure of arms and explosives from a vehicle in Haryana in May. The charge-sheeted accused included Pakistan-based Harwinder Singh Sandhu alias Rinda of the proscribed terrorist organization, BKI, who has sent the weapons through drones into the Indian territory for executing terrorist acts in India, a spokesperson of the NIA said. According to officials, the case was initially registered on May 5 at Madhuban police station in Haryana under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Explosive Substances Act and the Arms Act, and re-registered by the NIA on May 24.
Pakistan 04-Nov-2022
According to reports, Pakistan issued visas to nearly 3,000 Indian pilgrims under the framework of the Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974 to participate in celebrations in several cities in the bordering nation on the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak from November 6-15.
India 04-Nov-2022
According to report, the Border Security Force (BSF) troops deployed near the Jagdish border outpost (BOP) in Ferozepur sector in Ferozepur district spotted another drone. According to official sources, the troops heard humming sound of the drone near the Indo-Pakistan border. As per information, the drone first entered the Indian territory at around 10.05 pm, followed by another sortie at around 10.32 pm.
Canada 04-Nov-2022
Member of the Provincial Parliament (MPP) of Canada’s Ontario state, Deepak Anand, while condemning the attempts of the extremist Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) to spread hatred among the Hindu and Sikh communities settled in Canada has asked the Justin Trudeau government to bridle such activities that have the potential to trigger violence. Meanwhile, a poster displayed in Mississauga city of Canada on November 3 by the Khalistani outfit SFJ alleging, “An 8 days old Sikh infants burnt alive by Hindu mobs” in 1984 and demanding that the Canadian government declare incidents of 1984 as a “genocide of Sikhs” is evoking sharp reactions. The SFJ holds such demonstrations abroad every year to remind people of the aftermath of Indira Gandhi’s assassination on October 31, 1984, resulting in the killings of the Sikhs in Delhi and elsewhere in the country. Holding a demonstration in support of its demand the SFJ extremists alleged that trained and paid Hindu mobs killed Sikhs quoting a book written by some obscure writer. The name of the book was not mentioned.
India 05-Nov-2022
According to reports, Media accessed a video that showed the accused murderer of Shiv Sena leader Sudhir Suri, Sandeep Singh, taking the blessing of pro-Khalistan hardliner Amritpal Singh. As per the media report, the meeting between Amritpal and Sandeep allegedly occurred just days before Suri's murder. Earlier, the Shiv Sena leader's family accused Amritpal Singh. They alleged that the pro-Khalistan hardliner had given death threats to Suri.
India 05-Nov-2022
Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann, during his roadshow in Gujarat's Ahmedabad, issued a statement saying that the accused (Sudhir Suri murder case) has been rounded up. Bhagwant Mann said, "The accused has been rounded up. The investigation is in the preliminary stage. Police are carrying out an investigation. There will be justice."
India 05-Nov-2022
In a video, which was widely circulated on social networking sites, Gopal Singh Chawla, a pro-Khalistan leader hidden in Pakistan had threatened to kill Hindu outfit leader Amit Arora and national joint coordinator of All India Congress Committee (Kisan Congress) Gursimran Singh Mand. The video was released after the murder of Hindu outfit leader Sudhir Suri. Arora is already on terrorist groups’ target and had survived an attack in 2016. Police restricted these leaders from stepping out from their houses. Police have also increased vigil outside residences of various Hindu outfit leaders.