The Punjab police recognized 3,988 people until 2021, for his or her radical actions on social media as a part of its technique to counter rising radicalization of individuals by Khalistani teams in addition to a Pakistan backed terror-smugglers-gangsters nexus within the state, in accordance with particulars shared by counterterrorism officers.
Of those 3,988 , 993 have been instantly taken underneath Punjab police’s deradicalisation scheme for counselling and 207 have been introduced again into the mainstream, the information reveals.
The info is critical as a result of it bears out the idea that Khalistani teams, largely from exterior India, have elevated efforts to radicalize younger individuals.
Mumbai based mostly inner safety professional Sameer Patil stated: “Abroad pro-Khalistani components have exploited many points just like the 1984 riots, and Punjab’s agricultural disaster to push their agenda and radicalize weak Sikh youth in Punjab. To push their narrative, state-based organisations like Damdami Taksal have glorified the Sikh militants as ‘martyrs’ by recurrently observing their loss of life anniversaries and bestowing upon their households the siropa. The dearth of financial alternatives within the state and political patronage after all has additionally acted as enablers of this radicalization course of.”
The evaluation by Punjab police additional confirmed that 45% of the radicalized individuals had studied as much as tenth customary, 36% as much as twelfth customary. One other 16% have been diploma/diploma holders and three% have been illiterate. The age-group of the radicalized individuals was 16-25 years (27.4%), 26-35 years (39.3%) and 36 years and above (33.3%).
The info was shared by Punjab law enforcement officials throughout the Director Normal/Inspector Normal (DG/IG) convention 2021 of the Intelligence Bureau. HT has reviewed a duplicate of the doc.
Punjab police officers declined touch upon the matter.
Punjab police discovered that 32% radicalized people recognized by it have been holding down jobs equivalent to technicians, drivers, mechanics; 25% have been farmers; 10% have been labourers; 13% had salaried jobs; 10% have been spiritual preachers; and 4% have been authorities staff.
Punjab police additionally recognized round 220 individuals/households for receiving monetary help from Sikhs for Justice (SFK), a banned outfit run by US based mostly Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who is needed for spearheading a marketing campaign underneath the banner of “Referendum 2020” for a separate Khalistani state and radicalizing younger individuals in Punjab, in accordance with the evaluation.
Investigations revealed that 178 people obtained ₹7.19 lakh from Canada based mostly SFJ activists. Particulars of at the very least 225 people working from states aside from Punjab, who’re suspected to be related to SFJ, have already been shared with the Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau (SIB), the evaluation provides.Subsequently, Look out Circulars (LoC) have been opened towards 18 people who’re indulging in radical actions whilebased overseas.
Punjab police have additionally recognized 28 people serving in numerous capacities within the state authorities, together with departments which cope with the nationwide safety. Their particulars have been shared with the involved companies for appropriate motion.
Kanwardeep Kaur, an IPS officer from Punjab, has written in her evaluation that Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), benefiting from the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020-21 and the farmers’ agitation in 2020 and 2021, “is recurrently making an attempt to attract the youth or poor households of Punjab by saying monetary assist to them”. “They fundamental agenda behind that is to get their paperwork for Referendum-2020 voter registration marketing campaign”, she added.
“Initially, Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) began its Referendum 2020 propaganda by launching a web site and by making a Fb web page on its title SFJ. After that, it has been launching and creating web sites, Fb pages, YouTube channels and Twitter handles on totally different names for propagating its radical agenda,” Kaur wrote within the evaluation, including that police has to this point recognized 142 web sites and greater than 100 Fb pages, Fb accounts, Twitter handles and YouTube channels being operated by SFJ.
In February this yr, the I&B ministry had banned some SFJ channels.
Writing about different counter-terrorism challenges in Punjab, Amit Prasad, extra director common of police (ADGP) Counter Intelligence (Punjab),stated: “Since 2015, there have been particular makes an attempt by Pakistan ISI and militant/radical Sikh organizations/components based mostly overseas to revive terrorism in Punjab, which borders each Pakistan and J&Okay. There was a steady circulation of inputs, shared by central intelligence companies that continues to point terrorist motion in Punjab and, due to this fact, the safety scenario within the state stays extraordinarily fragile and delicate.”
He additionally wrote in regards to the gangster-terrorist nexus within the state.
“A brand new phenomenon has been seen since 2015 onwards in Punjab, the place there appears to be clear linkage between gangsters and terrorists. It has been seen that overseas based mostly Professional Khalistan components try to enlist gangsters/radical youth as foot troopers. It has been noticed that hardliners based mostly in Pakistan, USA, Canada, Hong Kong, UAE, France, Germany and different international locations are coordinating and facilitating fee of crimes although gangsters in Punjab and appearing as management rooms.”