KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
India 01-Jan-2020
One person, identified as Bhalwan Singh was arrested along with five kilograms of heroin and two pistols and 10 live cartridges at the Amritsar-Jalandhar national highway in Amritsar. The accused was produced in a local court which sent him to police remand till January 6.
India 01-Jan-2020
The Director General of Police (DGP), Punjab, Dinkar Gupta in an interview said that “We have been fortunate that 2019 has gone without any terror crime.” However, he cautioned that “It is difficult to say what the future holds for us, but when you are dealing with a neighbour like Pakistan, there will be attempts to foment trouble in Punjab. So, we have to be always vigilant.” He also said that “the SFJ tirade, however, has no resonance in Punjab. Some see it as a bogey created by security agencies.”
India 01-Jan-2020
Regarding the “Referendum2020” campaign the DGP, Dinkar Gupta said, “It has no takers here. SFJ has been banned by the government of India and its chief protagonist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun has been declared proclaimed offender in a few cases. The only worrying part is that they are beguiling and trying to provoke the youth to commit violence which is not a good sign. It vitiates the peace.”
India 02-Jan-2020
The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) criticized Pakistan’s decision to deny entry to non-Sikh visitors to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib at Kartarpur in Pakistan, for three days in January. Earlier Pakistan has decided not to allow the entry of non-Sikhs to the shrine, from January 3 to January 5, during the birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Gobind Singh who is the tenth and last of the Sikh Gurus.
Pakistan 03-Jan-2020
An angry mob of Muslim residents of Nankana Sahib stormed Gurdwara Nankana Sahib, the birth place of Sikh’s first master Guru Nanak Dev in Pakistan. According to reports, local Muslim protesters were resentful of Sikhs’ opposition to the alleged ‘forced’ conversion of a Sikh girl Jagjit Kaur to Islam and her marriage to a Muslim boy.
India 03-Jan-2020
India strongly condemned the attack at Nankana Sahib Gurudwara in Pakistan and asked Pakistan Government to take "immediate steps" to ensure the safety, security and welfare of members of the Sikh community.
India 03-Jan-2020
Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh appealed to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for his immediate intervention to ensure the safety of devotees stranded in Gurdwara Nankana Sahib. He also asked Imran Khan to save the historic Gurdwara from the angry mob.
India 04-Jan-2020
Sukhbir Badal, chief of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) met the family of Khalistani terrorist Balwant Singh Rajoana, a convict in 1995 assassination of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh and said he would meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the issue. After meeting Balwant Singh Rajoana's sister Kamaldeep Kaur at her Ludhiana home, he said that “Rajoana's death sentence ‘should be cancelled’.... Not even a single parole has been allowed to him in past 25 years... This is injustice. His death sentence should be cancelled because it is a serious matter related to the Sikh community”.
Pakistan 04-Jan-2020
Pro-Khalistan leader Gopal Singh Chawla was spotted at the Nankana Sahib Gurudwara in Pakistan, amid the tense situation at the site. Visuals show while a Sikh leader addressing the media declaring that there will be no unscheduled protests as it was their own land, Chawla who was seen standing behind him instructing the media to shut their cameras.
India 04-Jan-2020
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee (SGPC) chief Gobind Singh Longowa said that, SGPC will send a four-member delegation to Pakistan to take stock of the situation following a mob attack on Gurdwara Nankana Sahib. He said " The delegation will also meet Pakistan's Punjab Governor and Chief Minister." He also appealed to the Pakistan Government to take strict action against culprits who pelted stones.
India 04-Jan-2020
Indian political leaders across the spectrum condemned stone-pelting attack on Nankana Sahib in Pakistan and said it was a “shameful situation”.
Pakistan 04-Jan-2020
Pakistan said that what happened at the birthplace of Guru Nanak, Nankana Sahib involved two Muslim groups and attempts to paint it as communal were “patently motivated”.
Pakistan 04-Jan-2020
Dal Khalsa, while condemning the ‘hooliganism’ at Nankana Sahib, urged Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to take an official stand on the unfortunate incident that has severely hurt millions of followers of Guru Nanak Dev ji. Dal Khalsa Spokesperson Kanwar Pal Singh, said “I said that one insane person spewing venom against Sikh religion should not become a reason for hindrance in the cementing of Sikh-Muslim brotherhood.”
India 04-Jan-2020
The Jalandhar Police team that had gone to Latianwal village in Kapurthala district to carry out a raid was attacked by villagers. Latianwal is among the several villages falling in the notorious drug belt of Kapurthala. Kapurthala SSP Satinder Singh said that “We have booked 11 persons of the village and raids are on to arrest them. As of now, they are absconding.”
Pakistan 05-Jan-2020
The controversial pro-Khalistan supporter Gopal Singh Chawla was given free access to meet Indian pilgrims at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartapur Sahib complex during the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) organized celebrations to mark the birth anniversary of Sikhs’ tenth master Guru Gobind Singh. According to sources, Pakistan’s Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) allowed Chawla to lead the functions, address the gathering and meet Indian pilgrims.
Pakistan 05-Jan-2020
A 25-year-old Sikh man, identified as Parvendar Singh, was allegedly murdered in Peshawar in Pakistan. His body was found in the Chamkani Police Station area in Peshawar. However, the alleged killer has not been identified yet. The victim was the brother of a journalist, Harmeet Singh, Pakistan’s first Sikh journalist in electronic media.
India 05-Jan-2020
A Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) delegation, led by its president Sukhbir Badal, urged External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to seek a categorical assurance from Pakistan that those responsible for a "hate attack" on Sikhs as well as the stoning of Gurdwara Janam Asthan in Nankana Sahib would be given an "exemplary punishment." Sukhbir Badal also urged the Minister to raise the issue of atrocities being committed by Pakistan against minorities in the United Nations (UN).
India 05-Jan-2020
India condemned the ‘targeted’ killing of a Sikh youth in Peshawar and the Ministry of External Affairs asked the Pakistan Government to ‘stop prevaricating’ and take immediate action to apprehend and award exemplary punishment to the perpetrators. The Ministry of External Affairs said Pakistan should stop "prevaricating" and take immediate action to apprehend and give exemplary punishment to the perpetrators of the crime.
Pakistan 05-Jan-2020
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned the recent incident of vandalism at the Nankana Sahib, saying it goes against his “vision” and the government will show “zero tolerance” against those involved in it.
India 05-Jan-2020
The Special Task Force (STF) arrested two drug peddlers and recovered 402 gm of heroin from their possession in Ludhiana.
Pakistan 05-Jan-2020
The man, identified as Imran Ali Chishti, who issued threats to Sikhs and led a mob on January 3 that pelted stones at Gurdwara Nankana Sahib, was arrested and charged with a non-bailable section of Pakistan’s anti-terrorism act.
India 06-Jan-2020
An SGPC delegation, led by Gobind Singh Longowal, met Balwant Singh Rajoana - who is facing death sentence for assassinating former CM Beant Singh - in a separate room and clicked pictures with him inside the Central Jail in Patiala. According to reports, the five-member delegation spent almost an hour with the convict inside the jail. Earlier, Rajoana had announced to go on an indefinite strike from January 11 against the pendency of his mercy plea with the Centre.
India 06-Jan-2020
The Akal Takht officiating Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh condemned the violent incidents in Pakistan and called upon the global Sikh community to unite against such assaults. Over the mob attack on Gurdwara Janam Asthan at Nankana Sahib and the killing of a Sikh youth in Peshawar, Giani Harpreet Singh said such incidents had instilled a sense of insecurity among the Sikh community in Pakistan.
India 06-Jan-2020
India summoned the senior-most Pakistan’s deputy high commissioner Syed Haider Shah in New Delhi to lodge a strong protest over incidents targeting Sikh minority in Pakistan and to demand immediate action against the perpetrators of such ‘heinous acts’.
India 06-Jan-2020
The Akal Takht acting Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh and parallel acting Jathedar Dhian Singh Mand came face to face at a function organised to felicitate kin of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s assassins in the Golden Temple in Amritsar. The incident took place when acting Jathedar was felicitating Waryam Singh and Baltej Singh, brother and nephew of Satwant Singh, one of the assassins of Indira Gandhi. As Giani Harpreet Singh began to offer ‘siropa’ (robe of honour) to them, Jarnail Singh Sakhira, Mand’s aide, dubbed him ‘sarkari jathedar’ loudly and walked out of the gurdwara along with parallel Jathedar in protest.
Pakistan 06-Jan-2020
Pakistan’s National Council of Peoples’ Commission for Minorities Rights (PCMR), in a statement said that the threat to violence in Nankana Sahib by a mob, the killing of Sikh young man Parvinder Singh in Peshawar, and a gathering eulogizing the assassin Mumtaz Qadri on the death anniversary of Governor Salman Taseer in Karachi are extremely disturbing developments which should be taken seriously, and called upon the government to take urgent action to address the underlying causes of these manifestations.
India 07-Jan-2020
Sikh activists belonging to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Sant Samaj took out a protest march in Phagwara in Kapurthala district against the mob attack on Gurdwara Nankana Sahib and stone-pelting on Sikh pilgrims in Pakistan.
India 08-Jan-2020
Police arrested three persons along with 45 gram of heroin in separate incidents in Jalandhar. The arrestees, identified as Satnam Singh alias Satta (21), and mother-son duo Kishan Singh (21) and Paramjit Kaur (35), are residents of villages falling under the Subhanpur police station in Kapurthala district. A case under Sections 21, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act was registered against them.
Pakistan 08-Jan-2020
According to Indian intelligence reports, nearly a dozen pilgrims who had gone on pilgrimage to Kartarpur Sahib through the Kartarpur corridor have reported the loss of their mobile phones on their return to India. Intelligence agencies suspects that ISI spies may be trying to steal the mobile phones of Indian pilgrims to get to know their contacts, e-mail accounts and other data. “The stolen data provides them direct access to a large number of people and it has always been the endeavour of ISI to win over soft targets through various allurements,” said sources.
Pakistan 08-Jan-2020
A video of Harmeet Singh, brother of the Sikh youth killed in Pakistan emerged on social media. In the video Harmeet Singh said: "My name is Harmeet Singh and I am the first Sikh news anchor in Pakistan and a journalist. It has been more than three days that my brother was murdered but nobody from Pakistan government or ministry of minority affairs has issued any statement on this incident nor did anyone tried contacting me. More than three days have passed but no action has been taken by the police here and nobody has been arrested yet."
India 09-Jan-2020
The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act [UAPA] tribunal headed by Delhi High Court Chief Justice D N Patel upheld the Central Government's ban on pro-Khalistan group, Sikhs For Justice (SFJ). The tribunal observed that it was clear from the evidence on record that activities of the group were ‘unlawful’, ‘disruptive’ and ‘threaten the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of India’. Justice Patel said that the evidence proves that SFJ was "working in collusion with anti-India entities and forces… Thus, the Central Government had sufficient cause to take action under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for declaring Sikhs For Justice as an unlawful association.” Earlier, the Central Government on July 10, 2019 had declared SFJ as an unlawful association and had banned it for five years.
India 09-Jan-2020
The Director General of Police (DGP) Dinkar Gupta said that the ban on the SFJ was good news for Punjab, where it had been fishing for young and gullible youth, and radicalising them. He said, "With the SFJ being declared as an unlawful association, people will not fall prey to their objective of radicalising youth and unleashing violence in the state.”
India 09-Jan-2020
Acting Jathedar of Akal Takht, Giani Harpreet Singh stated that the Pakistan government must deliver justice to the family of the Sikh youth murdered in Peshawar. The Jathedar, in a statement, said that “It is unfortunate that local police have not arrested the killers of the youth. The Pakistan government should step in to ensure justice so that minorities of Pakistan feel safe and they should ensure that no such incident takes place again.”
India 09-Jan-2020
India said that the Nankana Sahib attack on Sikhs and murder of a member from that 'minority' community should work as 'mirror' for Pakistan and its Prime Minister Imran Khan. MEA spokesman Raveesh Kumar said that "A country that cannot take care of its minorities should not tell other countries how to do it. It is not for us to comment every time they say something. Pakistan should focus on ensuring safety and security of the minorities there."
India 09-Jan-2020
The External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, while interacting with expatriate Indians on the occasion of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, said that the government is committed to ensuring that perpetrators of atrocities during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots are brought to justice. To a question regarding misconceptions about the Sikh community abroad, the minister said that among the Indian communities abroad, Sikhs have been the foremost in shaping the brand and image of India.
Pakistan 09-Jan-2020
According to Pakistan Police, the murder of Sikh youth Parvinder has been solved and his 18-year-old fiancée, Prem Kumari, has been arrested for her alleged involvement in plotting the murder. A senior security official said that it was a “contract killing” paid for by Prem Kumari, who didn’t want to marry Parvinder, who lived in the remote Shangla district of the province.
India 10-Jan-2020
The Punjab Police busted a narco-terror module, which flew drones from Amritsar to Pakistan to fetch drugs in the last few days, by arresting three persons, including an Indian Army soldier and an expert drone operator. The arrestees were identified as Dharminder Singh of Dhanoa Khurd village (Amritsar), Balkar Singh of Kalas village (Amritsar), and Rahul Chauhan of Pooja Vihar in Ambala (Haryana). DGP Dinkar Gupta said that the gang carried out multiple sorties before it was busted by the state police. He also said that they had recovered two highly sophisticated Chinese drones, belonging to the narco-terror module, involved in the smuggling of weapons and narcotics from across the border. “The seizure includes drone batteries, custom-made drone containers, two walkie-talkie sets, Rs 6.22 lakh, believed to be proceeds of drugs, and a magazine of an INSAS rifle. The drones, capable of travelling 2-3 km, were reportedly being launched from the Indian side to fly into Pakistan to pick up narcotics. The accused had apparently already conducted four-five sorties,” said Gupta.
India 10-Jan-2020
An Amritsar court awarded 12-year rigorous imprisonment to gangster Jagdeep Singh alias Jaggu Bhagwanpuria in a case involving peddling of drugs and attacking a police party in July 2015. However, six of his accomplices were acquitted in the case by the court. Bhagwanpuria, who is currently lodged in the Patiala jail, is facing trial in 30 criminal cases such as murder, attempt to murder and extortion.
Italy 10-Jan-2020
Three Pakistan nationals living in Italy, identified as Chaudhary Abbasi, Liaquat Ali and Tanveer Kader offered an apology in a Gurudwara after they were threatened with a police case for allegedly circulating videos which were derogatory to Sikh Gurus and Hindu deities. The president of the Sikhs Sewa Society Italy, Jagjit Singh said, “The incident happened 10 days ago... after they realized their mistake, they approached the gurudwara to tender an apology.” According to sources, Liaquat Ali, who owned a restaurant in Brescia, and Kadar, who belonged to Tehreek-e-Kashmir, Italy, were close to Rizwan Salabat, ISI’s station head in Milan. Rizwan was close to Khalistani elements and sought their support to assuage the hurt feelings of Sikhs, the source said. It also said, in 2019, Ali played host to a few Khalistani Sikhs during their visit to Italy to win over Sikhs there for Khalistan movement and during their anti-India demonstration in Geneva, which was attended by radical Sikhs and Pakistanis living in Italy and Switzerland. The decision to drop the police complaint was taken after intervention of a few Sikh hardliners in Italy.
India 10-Jan-2020
The Dal Khalsa and Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) called for a complete shutdown in Punjab on the occasion of India’s 70th Republic day. The head of SAD (Amritsar), Simranjit Singh Mann and the chief of Dal Khalsa, Harpal Singh Cheema, in a joint press conference, stated that, “Punjab will remain shut on January 25 (January 26 being a Sunday) to register its protest against Sangh’s agenda of Hindu rashtra and to reiterate that Punjab won’t be part of the theocratic Hindu state”. They declared that the shutdown would be verdict on fascists and divisive policies and decisions of Narendra Modi government.
India 11-Jan-2020
The three accused belonging to a narco-terror module busted by the Punjab Police on January 10 were sent to three-day police remand by a local court.
Pakistan 11-Jan-2020
The Pakistan government denied visa to a Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) delegation to visit Nankana Sahib, after Gurudwara Janam Asthan in Nankana Sahib was vandalised by a mob. SGPC chief Gobind Singh Longowal said that “Denial of visa is not fair. The Pakistan government should review its decision. The SGPC will again move to the Pakistan embassy to request it to grant visa to the delegation.”
India 12-Jan-2020
Bengaluru Police arrested an alleged Khalistan supporter, Jarnail Singh Sidhu, who had fled Punjab and was hiding in the city, from Sampigehalli Police Station limits in north-eastern Bengaluru in Karnataka. Police sources said that "The Punjab police had approached us about Jarnail Singh, who was wanted by them. We traced him and handed him over to the Punjab police.” According to Central Crime Branch police, he was residing in Bengaluru for the last six months and is also allegedly in touch with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Police said he was living in a paying guest accommodation and was working in a private firm.
India 12-Jan-2020
According to reports, Punjab arms and drug smugglers are now sourcing the high-end GPS fitted drones from the free classified websites like OLX for the cross-border smuggling of weapons and drugs. During an interrogation, the Army man, Rahul Chauhan, who was arrested along with two Amritsar-based drug smugglers, told the Punjab Police that he had purchased and sold one drone at OLX. Earlier, the modus operandi of smuggling weapons and narcotics using drones had come to light when the police busted a Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) terror module in September 2019.
India 12-Jan-2020
According to report, Police has identified four more members of the narco-terror module busted by the Amritsar rural police four days ago, after the interrogation of the three arrested drug smugglers, including an Army man. Among the four suspects were two jail inmates who had been operating from the high-security prison in the city. The two jail inmates are believed to be accomplices of Balkar Singh, the kingpin of the nexus, who was a convict in an NDPS case and was undergoing 10-year imprisonment in Amritsar Central Jail.
Canada 13-Jan-2020
According to reports, after the ban on pro-Khalistan group Sikh for Justice (SFJ), the group has formed a new faction named 'SFJ International'. Some foreign journalists were also included in to the new SFJ International faction to give impetus to the activities of 'Referendum2020' against India.It is also reported that Pakistan’s ISI has set up centers in Spain, Canada and Thailand to fund SFJ International.
India 13-Jan-2020
A drone from Pakistan was spotted at Indo-Pak border in the Indian air space at Tendiwala village in Ferozepur district on January 13 night. A senior official said that, “The drone was seen for 4-5 minutes. BSF personnel tried to shoot it down but could not do so. Then, it disappeared.”
India 13-Jan-2020
According to officials, Punjab Police has constituted five teams to keep an eye on smuggling of drugs and weapons by drones from Pakistan. Among the five teams, one team will solely be dedicated to handle cyber crime, two teams will keep a tab on the movement of narcotics and smugglers from other states into Punjab and two other dedicated teams would track criminals by their social media activity. All the five teams will work in tandem to make arrests.The new teams were formed in the wake of the recent seizure of two Chinese-made drones used to fly into Pakistan to pick drugs and fly back and arrests of five drug smugglers.
India 14-Jan-2020
Senior officials of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) are looking at intelligence reports of rising incidents of weapons being pushed into India by Pakistan to aid Khalistani militants. According to sources, the probe into weapons smuggling began late last year (2019) after a Khalistani module was busted in Ludhiana in Punjab. Sources said that based on the interrogation reports of the two suspects - a woman who worked as a nurse in Faridkot and a man who used to work as a driver in Dubai - who were arrested in Ludhiana in November 2019, and additional intel inputs, senior officials at the UMHA have understood that large cache of weapons have been pushed inwards through some routes in Haryana and Rajasthan. It also added that the Pakistani handlers who are abetting the revival of Khalistani movement in the country have met some senior members of proscribed outfits - Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) in Pakistan recently.
India 14-Jan-2020
An army deserter, Harpreet Singh (25) who is accused of stealing rifles and ammunition from an army institute in Madhya Pradesh, managed to escape from the Police custody at the civil hospital in Hoshiarpur in Punjab where he was undergoing treatment for injuries. Harpreet was arrested from Tanda town on December 9, 2019 along with Jagtar Singh, the son of Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) militant Harbhajan Singh. He was admitted to the civil hospital on December 31 with a fractured arm.
India 14-Jan-2020
The Amritsar (Rural) police identified six more suspects of the narco-terror module that was busted on January 10. According to Police, six persons, all belong to Punjab, were getting heroin supply from the arrested members of the module.
India 15-Jan-2020
A Pakistani drone entered near Indian border at Channa Pattanam near Ajnala sector in Amritsar in Punjab. According to sources, after hearing the sound of a drone, the BSF fired around 100 rounds of bullets, though they couldn’t find the drone due to the dense of fog in the area.
Italy 15-Jan-2020
According to local sources in Italy, since the last couple of months, a steady stream of Sikh asylum seekers have been arriving every day at the local refugee centers in Italy and all of them declare to be ‘persecuted in India’, and claim to be members of the ‘Khalistan Movement’. The report said that it is a totally new phenomenon as Sikhs would mainly come as economic migrants or to join their families already working and living in Italy.The stream of asylum seekers in the past few months is big enough to have been noticed by the people working every day at the refugee offices, and to puzzle them. Though there are no official data yet about the number of requests being actually accepted by the Italian authorities, but most likely, they will accept almost all requests – mainly because in Italy, the concept of ‘Sikh militancy’ is widely unknown, the report said.
India 16-Jan-2020
The investigation into the recently busted narco-terror module has revealed that the Indian Army soldier,Naik Rahul Chohan, arrested along with two others with drones last week, was introduced to the smugglers at the International Border by their Pakistan-based handlers. Rahul Chohan contacted Dharminder Singh, a resident of border village Dhanoe Khurd, through Pak smugglers and in July 2019, the two allegedly started smuggling drugs using drones. They made several sorties in July and August. Though they stopped their activity for a month after the terror module busted in October, they resumed their activities in December.
India 17-Jan-2020
The BSF recovered 22 packets comprising around 22 kg heroin, 90 rounds and two magazines of ammunition, WiFi connectors, two smartphones, a normal phone and a pipe from the Border Out Post (BOP) at Chontra in Gurdaspur sector in Punjab. According to sources, troops saw some movement near the fencing at Chontra post and opened fire, after which some smugglers ran towards the Pakistani side.
India 17-Jan-2020
A military deserter,Harpreet Singh (25) who recently escaped from Police custody from a hospital in Hoshiarpur, was arrested in Connaught Place in New Delhi. Earlier, Harpreet Singh had tricked police guards by making an excuse of going to the washroom and escaped from a civil hospital in Hoshiarpur by scaling its wall on January 14. Singh, who was a sepoy in the Indian Army, is facing charges for stealing two INSAS rifles and ammunition from the army's training institute in Pachmarhi in Madhya Pradesh.
India 17-Jan-2020
The BSF recovered six packets comprising 12.5 kg heroin, a China-made pistol with one magazine and nine rounds from BOP Rajatal in Amritsar sector in Punjab. BSF DIG Bhupinder Singh said, “When the jawans began to reach for their guns, the men on the other side threw what they were carrying and fled.”
India 17-Jan-2020
The BSF seized around 6 kg heroin from the BOP Rajoke in Tarn Taran district of Punjab. They also recovered US currency amounting to around 3 lakh rupees during a search after miscreants fled.
United Kingdom 17-Jan-2020
According to sources, Indian diplomats and British Indians fear violence and damage to the Indian high commission building in London when up to 5,000 protesters are expected to protest outside it on Republic Day on January 26. The protest named as “Rise for Kashmir” will take place outside the Indian high commission on January 26 from 1 pm to 3 pm. According to the president of Tehreek-e-Kashmir UK, Fahim Kayani, Tehreek-e-Kashmir UK, Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) and the World Sikh Parliament are the organizers of the protest. However, the British Indians has sent emails to the Metropolitan police and London mayor Sadiq Khan expressing concerns about the security of the mission building and asking for the protest to be moved.
India 19-Jan-2020
Punjab police’ s Counter Intelligence (CI) wing arrested two cross-border drug smugglers, identified as Satnam Singh alias Satta and Gurpreet Singh alias Gora and recovered 4 kg of heroin from their possession in Mamdot in Firozepur District of Punjab. According to officials, Satnam Singh, during the interrogation,revealed that he was in touch with a Pakistani smuggler, Riaz Chacha. On the intervening night of January 6 and 7, he had received 5-kg heroin that was thrown in the fields situated along the fence near border outpost Maste kein Firozpur, which belonged to Gurpreet.
India 19-Jan-2020
Amritsar Rural police arrested sixth accused in the recently busted narco-terror module, identified as Rishab Kumar, from Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh. Police sources said that Rishab had sold a drone to the army naik Rahul Chauhan who was arrested along with two Chinese-made drones and arms on January 11.
India 19-Jan-2020
The misuse of drones by smugglers at the international border to fetch drug consignments has emerged as a major security threat in Punjab, says report. According to security sources, the easy availability of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) or drones has become a headache for the security agencies in Punjab. Police officials said that even though there were a number of regulations regarding the operation of drones, these were hardly being followed. The first incident of drone was reported in October 2019 when the Punjab Police arrested several Khalistani extremists who got sophisticated weapons from their handlers in Pakistan through drones. Recently, Amritsar rural police busted a drug cartel involving a soldier who was sneaking in drug consignments with the help of drones.
United Kingdom 19-Jan-2020
A UK based NGO, the Sikh Federation UK (SFUK), is joining forces with around 200 Sikh representatives from more than 20 countries to lobby the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for a “Rwanda-style” international tribunal to investigate crimes during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The chairman of SFUK, Bhai Amrik Singh said that ““Our experiences from the last 35 years and this latest report [Justice SN Dhingra Committee Report] shows the police, politicians, and judiciary in India are corrupt to the core and the wheels of justice hardly turn. It is therefore impossible to secure justice within the Indian system. We are confident in securing the support of the majority of the five members of the UN Security Council. It is the entire Indian machinery that must be put on trial in an international arena.”
United Kingdom 20-Jan-2020
The World Sikh Parliament (WSP) announced that they will support the anti-India protest being organised by the Tehreek-e-Kashmir (TeK) UK chapter on the occasion of India’s Republic Day on January 26, outside the Indian High Commission in London. The WSP spokesperson, Ranjeet Singh declared that “We are with the people of Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJ&K) who have been incarcerated by the government of India since August 5, 2019. In this situation we will join the TeK UK’s anti-India protest in front of the IHC in London.” Earlier, TeK announced the protest outside Indian High Commission in London and to observe the Republic Day as ‘Black Day’ across the world.
India 20-Jan-2020
The Amritsar Rural police arrested a Jammu-based man, Sarvodhya Rakesh Bihari, in connection with the narco-terror module it busted on January 11, from Jammu in J&K. This is the seventh arrest in the case. According to Police, Sarvodhya had been working as supplier of drones, and was in contact with a Delhi-based company that had been supplying the drones without following guidelines of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
India 20-Jan-2020
Seven more villages of Hoshiarpur district were declared drug-free by the administration as part of the campaign launched against the drug menace by the Punjab Government. The district now boasts of having 45 drug-free villages. Deputy Commissioner Isha Kalia handed over drug-free village certificates to village authorities.
India 20-Jan-2020
The acting Jathedar of Akal Takht, Giani Harpreet Singh sought cancellation of cases registered against 9 Sikh youths held for vandalizing the platform of Punjabi folk dancers's statues on the Heritage Street leading to the Golden Temple. He said on January 20 that “Amritsar was the centre of Sikh religion and such statues should have not been installed in the 'Heritage Street'….There is a difference between Sikh and Punjabi culture as the latter also covers Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims and people of all other religions living in Punjab, but the Sikh culture is distinct."
United States 20-Jan-2020
The US-based Sikh bodies, Sikh Coordination Committee East Coast (SCCEC) and American Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (AGPC), held a meeting to condemn the installation of Punjabi cultural statues on Heritage Street and demanded cancellation of cases against the Sikh youths arrested for vandalizing the statue. SCCEC coordinator Himmat Singh said that the SCCEC and AGPC had held a teleconference on the issue and there was unanimity among them over it being a grave mistake to install these statues near Golden Temple.
Pakistan 21-Jan-2020
According to reports, a prominent Sikh political leader in Pakistan, Radesh Singh Tony was forced to leave the country after receiving threats to his life. Radesh Singh Tony, the president of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's Pakistan Minorities Alliance, was allegedly tortured by some unidentified people last month when he was passing through the Kacha Jail Road along with his son. He was the first minority member in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa to contest the national elections, who had contested the 2018 general elections from Peshawar as an independent candidate.
United Kingdom 22-Jan-2020
The High Commissioner of India in London Ruchi Ghanshyam, in a call with the Home Secretary of UK Priti Patel, expressed concerns over the planned protest outside the High Commission of India (HCI) in which Indian Constitution is supposed to be burnt on the day India celebrates its Republic Day on January 26. Indian diaspora in UK too requested to various UK authorities to ban the protest.
Pakistan 22-Jan-2020
According to sources, prominent Sikh leader and a minority rights activist, Radesh Singh Tony, along with his family from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, left Pakistan due to threats to his life and is likely to take asylum in India. He has been targeted by Islamist extremists and has received threats several times. He has also been critical of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government and complaining about the deteriorating law and order situation in Pakistan.
India 22-Jan-2020
The Akal Takht acting Jathedar, Giani Harpreet Singh constituted a three-member committee to resolve the row concerning demand to remove statues of folk dancers on the Heritage Street.
India 22-Jan-2020
Police arrested a woman drug peddler, identified as Neelam and recovered 50 gm of heroin from her possession near Children Park in Ludhiana.
India 23-Jan-2020
The Special Task Force (STF) of Ludhiana Police arrested four drug smugglers and recovered 2.20 kg of heroin from their possession in Ludhiana. The arrestees were identified as Jagdev Singh Jaggi (32), Parminder Singh Minna (30), Sonu Ghalot (29) and Harpreet Singh (24).
United Kingdom 23-Jan-2020
According to reports, protesters have been mobilizing people in large numbers to join the agitation outside the Indian embassy in London and burn copies of the Indian Constitution on January 26. Some pro-Khalistan fringe groups are also joining hands with Pakistani groups in the protest. Messages are widely circulated using various social media platforms inviting ‘like-minded’ people to join and burn the Indian Constitution, report said.
India 23-Jan-2020
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) supported the demand of Sikh bodies for removal of folk dancers’ statues installed by the previous SAD-BJP government on Heritage Street in Amritsar. The SGPC decision came after a meeting of a four-member committee constituted by the Akal Takht to resolve the issue. SGPC senior vice-president Rajinder Singh Mehta, one of the members of the committee, said that they respect the sentiments of the Sikh community on this issue. He said the administration should take decision on the statues at the earliest, but did not say what kind of decision the committee wants.
India 23-Jan-2020
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh urged Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to ensure the safety of a Sikh leader Radesh Singh Tony who has alleged persecution by fundamentalists in that country.
India 24-Jan-2020
Two persons out of three, who were named in the FIR registered at Sriganganagar under the NDPS Act on December 13, 2019 were arrested in Fazilka district of Punjab. The accused persons, identified as Gurpreet Singh Monu and Gurjinder Singh Sonu were arrested in connection with recovery of 64 kg of poppy husk from Netewala-Kaluwala bypass on December 13.
United Kingdom 24-Jan-2020
Around 15,000 British Kashmiris plan to attend the protest outside the Indian high commission building in London on January 26 as India celebrates Republic Day. The protest, which starts at 1 pm was called by the groups like Tehreek-e-Kashmir UK, Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) and the World Sikh Parliament. Pro-Khalistan Sikhs, British Pakistanis and Britons who originate from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) are expected to take part in the protest..
India 25-Jan-2020
A local court in Ludhiana sentenced a drug peddler, identified as Paramjit Singh to 12 years rigorous imprisonment after he was found in possession of 8 kg opium. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1.2 lakh on the convict.
India 25-Jan-2020
The Canadian High Commissioner to India Nadir Patel, when asked about the pro-Khalistan activities in Canada in an interview, said that, “If there are any laws that are being broken, we will act on those. But Canada does not support the creation of another state or the separation or break-up of India. You can take that in the context of that topic [pro-Khalistan] or any other separatist movement. We very much respect Canada’s charter of rights that provides for freedom of expression. But if these freedoms are impeded upon, we will act on that right away.”
India 25-Jan-2020
The Punjab bandh (general shutdown strike) called by the radical Sikh outfits, Dal Khalsa and SAD (Amritsar) against the CAA and the NRC evoked lukewarm response in most parts of the state barring Amritsar. According to reports, markets and commercial establishments remained opened in most parts of the state as protesters at a few places faced opposition from shopkeepers for trying to forcibly down the shutters of their shops. The officials said that protest remained peaceful in the state.
United Kingdom 26-Jan-2020
The Scotland Yard provided strict security around the Indian high commission building in London and prevented recurrence of violence as protesters raised anti-India slogans and separatist demands related to Khalistan and Kashmir. According to report, only less than 1,000 people attended the much-hyped anti-India protest. After the diplomatic pressure from India, British authorities took adequate measures, including mounted police and cameras to record and identify protesters.
United States 26-Jan-2020
The followers of poet-saint Guru Ravidas staged a protest outside the office of the pro-Khalistan group, Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) in New York on January 26 against the alleged burning of the Indian Constitution and demands for a referendum in Punjab. The protesters raised slogans against the SFJ and burnt the effigy of its leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannu. The president of Guru Ravidas temple in New York, Ashok Kumar Mahi, who had called for the protest said that "Our protest is against them burning the sacred Constitution. They provoked us by sending this video." Earlier, SFJ sent a video of tearing a copy of the Indian Constitution and burning it. The Dalit leader, Ashok Kumar Mahi, also told the local media India America Today that they were offended by Pannu’s move and had reached out to his organisation also to underscore their “strong feelings” associated with the Constitution and Dr BR Ambedkar, the architect of the Constitution. However, SFJ went ahead with its attempted burning of the Indian Constitution, which has hurt the feelings of the community, he said.
India 26-Jan-2020
The Director General of Police (DGP), Punjab, Dinkar Gupta said that Punjab is the safest state in the country but it being a border state, the police have to remain ever vigilant. He also said that under the Police Forces Modernization scheme, construction of new buildings of existing 95 police stations is underway in Punjab and for this purpose a loan of Rs 150 crore has also been availed from HUDCO (Housing and Urban Development Corporation Limited). The DGP also added that to curb ‘the glorification of arms and drugs culture in songs’, police would hold meetings with the singers and take appropriate action against the offenders.
India 26-Jan-2020
The websites of Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) was suspected to be hacked by a group called ‘Dalit Hacker’. The group said that it celebrated India's Republic Day by hacking the website.
Pakistan 27-Jan-2020
According to sources, the ‘chief’ of the Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF), Harmeet Singh alias Happy PhD was reportedly killed by a local gang over financial disputes stemming from drug smuggling at the Dera Chahal Gurudwara near Lahore in Pakistan. Harmeet Singh was wanted in India in several cases, and involved in the smuggling of weapons and drugs from Pakistan. He was also allegedly involved in the targeted killing of Hindu leaders in Punjab in 2016-2017. The Interpol, acting on India’s request, in October 2018, issued red corner notice against Harmeet Singh along with seven other Khalistani terrorists based in different countries. He was a resident of Chheharta in Amritsar, Punjab in India and he was living in Pakistan for the last two decades.
India 28-Jan-2020
The news of Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) ‘chief’ Harmeet Singh alias Happy PhD’s killing in Lahore in Pakistan on January 27 brought relief to Indian security agencies, especially the Punjab Police, which had got nine red corner notices issued against the terrorist leader. Happy PhD, who was a PhD student in religious studies at Guru Nanak Dev University in Amritsar in 2008 and later became the ‘chief’ of terror outfit KLF, remained a headache for the Indian security agencies for more than 11 years. He was one of the most active Khalistani terrorist in Pakistan and was allegedly involved in almost every terror attack, radicalisation of youths and drug smuggling in Punjab since 2008. His name first appeared in terror-related activities on November 5, 2008, when the Makhu police of the Ferozepur police district named him in an FIR for having received a cache of weapons and ammunition from Pakistan to kill Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. However, Police couldn’t arrest him in that case. Later, he reportedly moved to Pakistan where he rose through the militant ranks fast and became the KLF ‘chief’ in a few years. According to police, Happy PhD was considered the main link between Khalistani and Kashmiri militants. He also ran a network of funding terror activities and smuggling through Dubai-based smuggler Jasmeet Singh Hakeemzada.
Pakistan 28-Jan-2020
The Pakistani media did not report a word on the killing of Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) ‘chief’ Harmeet Singh alias Happy PhD apparently because of the sensitivity attached to the matter, sources said. He was reportedly killed near Dera Chahal Gurudwara on the outskirts of Lahore in Pakistan on January 27. According to local sources, the body of slain militant was not shifted to any of the Lahore’s morgue for autopsy and there was no FIR registered over his murder. Sources said, "We have been asked not to pursue this case. Therefore, no FIR has been registered in the murder of Harmeet Singh."The law enforcement agencies have cordoned off the area near the Gurudwara in Burki since January 27 and no one including journalists were allowed to visit there. It was also reported that he was shot dead by a local gang over financial disputes related to drug smuggling.
India 28-Jan-2020
Special Task Force (STF) arrested a drug smuggler, identified as Varinder Kumar alias Sonu (25) and recovered 360 grams of heroin from his possession in Sector 39 area in Ludhiana, Punjab. During preliminary questioning, he revealed that he had been smuggling drugs for the past more than four years and he was his way to supply the contraband to his clients.
India 29-Jan-2020
The killed Khalistani terrorist, Harmeet Singh alias Happy PhD was among the list of 15 pro-Khalistan activists active in Pakistan in the garb of making preparations for celebrating the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev in November 2019. According to Indian intelligence agencies, India, during the second round of Kartarpur Corridor talks between India and Pakistan in Wagah in July 2019, submitted a 23-page dossier of 15 pro-Khalistani activists residing in Pakistan, containing events from the past four years to Pakistan. The dossier also included the year-wise pictorial details of key Khalistani elements in Pakistan and their anti-India activities on social media.
Pakistan 29-Jan-2020
According to reports, though the parents of killed Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) ‘chief’ Harmeet Singh alias Happy PhD in Amritsar want Pakistan to return his body for cremation, Pakistan won’t agree with this as the Khalistani terrorist was living under fake identity at Nankana Sahib in Pakistan. According to the documents. His parents, father Avtar Singh and mother Khushbir Kaur, live in Chheharta area in Amritsar, Punjab. However, his Pakistan documents identify him as 37-year-old Bhupinder Singh. According to his identity card, given to him according to security officials by Pakistan’s deep state, Happy was Bhupinder Singh, son of Sant Singh, Mohalla Balila Nard, Gurudwara Pati Saheb, Nankana Saheb. His religious identity card, which shows his date of birth as December 12, 1983, was valid till May 31, 2024.
Hong Kong 29-Jan-2020
The Punjab police has to wait further to extradite the prime accused in the Nabha jailbreak incident, Ramanjit Singh Romi, from Hong Kong as the Hong Kong government has asked its population to work from home and suspended working in a number of departments including the justice department due to the increasing cases of Corona virus infection. Last month, Romi had filed a second appeal in the higher court in Hong Kong challenging his extradition to India after the Eastern Court had dismissed his plea challenging his extradition to India on the grounds that he was being targeted for being a pro-Khalistan and claimed he was ‘at risk of brutal treatment if returned to the country of his birth.’The higher court while admitting his second plea had called for a day-to-day hearing which had started early this month. The Punjab police had been expecting that the hearing would be completed soon and they will be able to secure his custody.
Pakistan 29-Jan-2020
According to Pakistani private news channels, Pakistan’s intelligence agencies had countered Research and Analysis Wing (RAW)’s (India’s intelligence agency) plan to launch a terror attack along the route of the Kartarpur Corridor, through which India had wanted to incite Sikhs to carry out anti-Pakistan activities. However, India did not react to Pakistan’s claim.
Pakistan 29-Jan-2020
According to local sources, the slain Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) ‘chief’ Harmeet Singh alias Happy PhD was cremated at Babu Sabu Chowk cremation ground in Lahore in the presence of fellow Khalistani extremist Lakhbir Singh Rode, the ‘chief’ of International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) on January 29. A superintendent-rank police officer and the Station House Officer of the Dera Chahal station were also present at the cremation ground where Happy PhD was discreetly cremated, sources said.
India 29-Jan-2020
The Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) has changed its nomenclature from Sikh Referendum 2020 to Punjab Referendum 2020 and invited members of other religions, besides Dalits. According to report, after failing to get any response for their referendum 2020, SFJ, through their posters circulated on social media, has extended the program to all communities and invited Dalits to join the campaign. According to Punjab Police, SFJ had abandoned the Sikh referendum movement and shifted its stance after it got no response from the Sikh community over its separatist agenda. Police officials also said that there was an outcry over anti-national activities of the SFJ. The SFJ leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in his recent video posted on a Facebook group titled 'Sikh Referendum 2020' besides the Sikhs and Muslims, can be seen appealing to all Christians and Hindus to vote for his dream project referendum 2020. "This is also for all the Muslims and Christian brothers that the referendum is not closing. We will be sending the registration forms to every household and the voting will start on June 6, 2020. Hindus having immovable property in India cannot vote as there are some restrictions," Pannun said.
India 30-Jan-2020
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) would again take the voice samples of the nine accused Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) terrorists for their involvement in smuggling of arms using drones from Pakistan to Indian Punjab through the International Border. Barring Gurdev Singh, all other accused in the case, Akashdeep Singh, Balwant Singh, Shukhdeep Singh, Mann Singh, Sajanpreet Singh and Malkit Singh appeared in the NIA court in Mohali.
India 31-Jan-2020
According to sources, Pakistan's Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) has turned several chiefs of Khalistani terror outfits based in Pakistan into drug smugglers who are destroying a generation of youth of Punjab and other parts of India. Smuggling of weapons and drugs by Pakistan-based Khalistani terror chiefs has resulted in a rivalry among the militant Sikh Groups who are competing for the ISI's patronage and each one of them is trying to outperform the other in smuggling drugs like heroin in India, report said. It was the result of rivalry among the Khalistani militant groups based in Pakistan that on January 27, the ‘chief’ of Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF), Harmeet Singh alias Happy PhD, was killed at the Dera Chahal Gurudwara near Lahore by a local gang over financial disputes stemming from drug smuggling.
India 31-Jan-2020
The Special Task Force (STF) of Punjab Police arrested an Afghan national, Arman Basharmal, involved in refining heroin along with five others including a woman during a raid on an illegal manufacturing unit in Sultanwind in Amritsar. The STF recovered 194 kg of heroin, 38 kg of a synthetic drug and 207 kg of chemical from their possession. The STF also seized a gas burner, commercial cylinders, utensils and a mixer grinder from the spot. As per report, it is after nearly seven years that a drugs manufacturing unit has been busted in Punjab. Earlier, an illegal factory run allegedly by Ravi Kandola gang was busted.
India 31-Jan-2020
The Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh asserted that he would not spare anyone found implicated in the case related to the recently busted major narco-terror racket, irrespective of their political affiliations. Making it clear that his government would not allow drug smugglers, narco- gangsters and narco-terrorists to spread their wings in the state, which had witnessed massive decline in the number of deaths due to drug abuse, as a result of the efforts of the government and the police.