In early 2026, Punjab witnessed a spate of targeted killings and gang-related murders, with at least six incidents reported in the first eight days, reflecting a deterioration in law and order and, in most cases, suspected links to transnational organised crime and foreign-based gangster–terrorist–drug smuggling networks. Although no fatalities have been directly attributed to terrorism, the convergence of Khalistani extremism, organised crime, narcotics trafficking, and local political rivalries has blurred traditional distinctions, heightening public insecurity and political backlash against the state government. The incidents include:
January 8, 2026: A youth, Lovepreet Singh was killed and his associate, Dilpreet Singh, injured in an attack by unidentified assailants near Fatehgarh Korotana village in Moga district. Preliminary investigations indicate old rivalry; Police disclosed that the deceased had a pending criminal case at Kot Ise Khan Police Station in Moga.
January 7, 2026: Nineteen-year-old Jashandeep Singh was beaten to death at the Budhlada bus stand in Mansa district. Police later arrested five accused, attributing the murder to a longstanding rivalry.
January 5, 2026: A former kabaddi player working as a bouncer, Gagandeep Singh, was shot dead in an agricultural field near the grain market on the outskirts of Manuke village in Jagraon, Ludhiana district. Initial findings suggest the killing followed a scuffle between rival groups; assailants reportedly announced the murder outside the victim’s residence before fleeing.
January 4, 2026: An Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) sarpanch (village panchayat head), Jarmal Singh, was shot dead by two unmasked assailants during a wedding ceremony at a resort near Verka on the Amritsar–Attari Road. Reports indicate that Singh, a commission agent and construction contractor, had been receiving extortion threats for over a year from foreign-based gangster Prabh Dassuwal.
January 3, 2026: Congress party worker Umarsir Singh was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Bhinder Kalan village, Moga district. The victim’s family alleged the killing was linked to a longstanding political rivalry stemming from local body elections.
January 2, 2026: An NRI who had returned from abroad about a month earlier, Hempreet Kaur, was shot dead in a targeted attack by two motorcycle-borne assailants in Kapurthala district.
In a related development, on January 6, 2026, Harnoor Singh, a gangster allegedly involved in planning the killing of AAP sarpanch Jarmal Singh, was killed in a Police encounter near Bhikhiwind in Tarn Taran district.
The recent spate of targeted attacks associated with the overlapping Khalistani–gangster nexus reflects a continuation of trends observed in 2025, a year in which Punjab recorded its highest annual fatality count since the resurgence of “targeted killings” in 2016. This marked a reversal after an eight-year hiatus (2008–2015), during which no such fatalities were reported in the state.
According to data compiled by the Institute for Conflict Management (ICM), Punjab recorded 31 fatalities in 2025 (19 civilians, three terrorists, and nine gangsters), including 21 targeted killings. This compares with nine fatalities in 2024 (seven civilians and two gangsters – eight resulting from targeted killings and one from an inter-gang conflict); six in 2023 (three civilians and three gangsters, all due to targeted killings); three in 2022 (all civilians, targeted killings); one in 2021 (one terrorist killed in a blast); two in 2020 (two civilians, targeted killings); two in 2019 (two terrorists killed in a blast); three in 2018 (three civilians killed in a terrorist attack); six in 2017 (all civilians, targeted killings); and three in 2016 (all civilians, targeted killings).
Most of these killings are linked to targeted attacks orchestrated by overseas-based gang leaders operating from the United States (US), Canada, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, as well as by gangsters and terrorists backed by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), working through local and mid-level gang operatives in north India and executed by foot soldiers in Punjab. While in 2016–17 such violence primarily targeted non-Sikh religious leaders and anti-Khalistani figures to foment communal tension and revive separatist sentiment, in recent years – particularly after the killing of singer Sidhu Moosewala in 2022 – the target profile has expanded to include NRIs, traders and businessmen, sportspersons such as kabaddi players, and Punjabi singers, highlighting the growing centrality of large-scale extortion rackets within these criminal–terrorist networks.
Among the 21 targeted killings in 2025, one of the most sensational was the murder of Naveen Arora, son of long-time Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) functionary Baldev Raj Arora, who was shot dead by two unidentified motorcycle-borne assailants near Baba Noor Shah Wali Dargah in Ferozepur district on November 15, 2025. Soon after the incident, a previously unknown Khalistani outfit, the Sher-e-Punjab Brigade, claimed responsibility through a social media post. In a letter purportedly issued by the group and signed by Paramjit Singh, with Bahadur Singh Sandhu named as its ‘spokesperson,’ the RSS was accused of attempting to “assimilate Sikhs into Hinduism in Punjab,” and the group claimed it had been formed to advance the ‘cause of Khalistan’s freedom.’ The letter also threatened future attacks on RSS and Shiv Sena members, as well as police and military personnel. Punjab Police officials, however, stated that the authenticity of the letter remained unverified and may have been fabricated to mislead the investigation.
In another incident of gang warfare, on June 26, 2025, two unidentified motorcycle-borne assailants fatally shot Harjit Kaur, mother of jailed gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, and his cousin, Karanvir Singh, on Qadian Road near their residence in the Urban Estate area of Batala in Gurdaspur district. In an unverified social media post issued shortly after the attack, the Davinder Bambiha gang claimed responsibility, stating that Karanvir Singh was the intended target.
Three Khalistani terrorists were killed in 2025. On February 27, Mohit – an operative of the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and a prime suspect in the grenade attacks at Jaintipur in Amritsar and Raimal in Batala – was killed in a police encounter in Batala, Gurdaspur district. On March 17, Gursidak Singh aka Sidki, a key suspect in the grenade attack on a temple in Amritsar, was killed on Airport Road in Amritsar. On May 27, a suspected BKI operative, Nitin Kumar, was killed in a powerful explosion while allegedly attempting to retrieve explosive material from an abandoned site near the Majitha Road bypass in Amritsar district.
Beyond targeted killings, the terror–gangster network has also sought to destabilise the state through a series of grenade attacks targeting security establishments and prominent locations across Punjab. According to the Police, since September 2024, 24 such incidents – predominantly grenade attacks on Police Stations – have occurred. All these cases have been solved, with the networks dismantled and the accused arrested. Investigations point to a deepening nexus between Khalistani extremism and organised crime, indicating an externally sponsored and sustained effort to exploit the state’s increasingly fragile political environment to accelerate instability.
In the latest incident, a grenade was allegedly thrown outside the City Police Station in Gurdaspur on the evening of November 25, 2025, just hours before Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was scheduled to visit the district to inaugurate a sugar mill. Although the Khalistan Liberation Army (KLA) claimed responsibility, police subsequently neutralised the module, revealing that the attack was allegedly directed by Pakistan-based, ISI-backed gangster-turned-terrorist Shehzad Bhatti, along with Indian gangsters Jeshan Akhtar and Amandeep Singh aka Pannu of Gurdaspur, who were plotting grenade attacks on government and Police establishments across Punjab and beyond.
On December 31, 2025, Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav stated that the overall law and order situation in Punjab during 2025 remained under control and was better than in most Indian states. While directly accusing Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir and the ISI of orchestrating fresh conspiracies to destabilise the state by supplying weapons to gangsters and terrorists, he asserted that the Punjab Police had effectively addressed these challenges in close coordination with central agencies.
In a year-end briefing, the DGP stated that the Internal Security Wing of Punjab Police dismantled 19 terrorist modules in 2025, solved 12 major terrorism cases, and arrested 131 persons, in addition to recovering a substantial cache of arms and ammunition. The seizures included nine rifles, 188 pistols and revolvers, 12 improvised explosive devices (IEDs), 11.62 kilograms of RDX, 54 hand grenades, 32 detonators, four rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), a rocket launcher sleeve, timer switches, walkie-talkies, and remote-control devices.
On gang-related activity, he noted that around 40 foreign-based gangsters were actively attempting to incite violence in Punjab, while over 400 gangs or modules were operating in the state, with numbers fluctuating. He further disclosed that the State’s Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) and field units dismantled 416 gangster modules, arrested 992 criminals, and seized 620 weapons and 252 vehicles during 2025.
Since the launch of the Punjab Government’s flagship “Yudh Nashian Virudh” (War Against Drugs) campaign, between March 1, 2025, and January 5, 2026, the Punjab Police registered 30,104 drug-related cases and arrested 43,437 persons for narcotics offences. During this period, seizures included 2,021 kilograms of heroin, 26 kilograms of synthetic drugs (ICE), 698 kilograms of opium, 35,000 kilograms of poppy husk, 5.578 million intoxicant pills and capsules, and INR 168.1 million in drug proceeds. The conviction rate in drug-related cases rose to approximately 87–88 per cent, the highest recorded in the State. Preventive interventions included the admission of 23,940 individuals to de-addiction centres and referrals of 59,840 persons to Outpatient Opioid Assisted Treatment (OOAT) clinics.
Punjab recorded a sharp surge in cross-border arms and drug smuggling from Pakistan, with its 532-kilometre international border increasingly emerging as a frontline for drone-based arms and drug trafficking. In 2025, the Border Security Force (BSF) intercepted 288 drones most of them carrying weapons or narcotics. The trend reflects a steep escalation over recent years, with 294 drones recovered in 2024, 119 in 2023, 22 in 2022, one in 2021, seven in 2020, and two in 2019.
According to data compiled by the Khalistan Extremism Monitor (KEM), security agencies in Punjab arrested 771 individuals associated with Khalistani extremist outfits or organized criminal networks during 2025. Counter-narcotics and enforcement operations resulted in the detention of 23,747 individuals for drug-related offences, including composite seizures (drugs with weapons). Disaggregated data indicate that 223 arrests were made across 99 major composite seizure cases; 537 individuals were apprehended in 265 incidents involving illegal arms recoveries; and 23,500 arrests were recorded in 16,335 narcotics recovery cases. In addition, the Police recovered 161 drones during 2025.
As Punjabi-origin gangs have expanded their operations globally, South Asian communities – particularly in Canada – have experienced a recent surge in violent incidents, including extortion and shootings targeting local businesses and cultural figures. In 2025, six persons of Indian origin were killed in six separate Punjabi gang-related incidents in Canada. This escalation prompted the Canadian federal government, on September 29, 2025, to formally designate the Lawrence Bishnoi gang as a ‘terrorist entity’ under the Criminal Code, citing its role in targeting specific communities and fostering a climate of fear and intimidation within the country.
Extending their rivalry onto US soil, an episode of inter-gang conflict on October 18, 2025, resulted in the killing of Banwari Godara – an associate of gangster Harry Boxer, who is closely linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang – and injuries to another individual, during a shooting at a truck repair yard at 5400 Block, South Cedar Avenue, Fresno, US. The Rohit Godara–Goldy Brar gang later claimed responsibility via a social media post, stating that Harry Boxer was the intended target.
In a significant development in India’s fight against transnational organised crime and terrorism, Indian authorities, through a coordinated deportation operation, extradited gangster Anmol Bishnoi – the brother of jailed gang leader Lawrence Bishnoi – from the US, on November 19, 2025. During 2025, gangsters Parminder Singh aka Pindi (from the UAE), and Sukhdev Kumar aka Manish Bedi and Sajan Masih aka Goru (both from a Southeast Asian country) were also deported. India currently has 26 extradition requests pending in Canada alone, including those for gangster-turned-terrorists Arshdeep Singh aka Arsh Dala of the Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) and Lakhbir Singh aka Landa, a key operative of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), both designated as individual terrorists by the Government of India.
A small but vocal fringe of Khalistani elements within the diaspora continued violent anti-India activities in Western countries during 2025, contributing to social unrest and, in some cases, intensifying anti-immigrant sentiment and racially charged protests. Separately, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, chief of the banned pro-Khalistan Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), announced on December 25, 2025, a proposal for a separate Christian homeland, “Trumpland,” to be carved out of northeastern India, comprising Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura, and Assam. SFJ claimed to have released a map of the proposed entity and linked the initiative to its broader advocacy for so-called self-determination movements, including the Khalistan referendum campaign.
The nexus between narcotics distribution and organised crime – often overlapping with gangster-terrorist networks – suggests that narco-terrorism, rather than ideologically driven terrorism alone, constitutes the more pervasive threat in Punjab. While the Khalistani threat remains limited in terms of mass-casualty violence, it is significant in its transnational reach, psychological operations, fundraising, and propaganda. Complex diaspora dynamics, combined with foreign intelligence exploitation, indicate a strategic shift towards indirect radicalisation rather than renewed on-ground insurgency.
Although major terrorist incidents have remained relatively contained compared to the peak of insurgency in the 1980s–90s, the convergence of Khalistani extremist networks, ISI-linked proxies, diaspora-based propaganda and destabilization operations, and a well-resourced narcotics–gangster-terrorist syndicates continue to expose enduring structural vulnerabilities.
