Modi regime fuels gangster violence as Indian Punjab bleeds
Alarming rise in killings exposes BJP's dirty politics
New Delhi : Narendra Modi’s BJP-led government is facing fierce criticism as Indian Punjab battles escalating gangster violence, targeted killings, drug networks and a bitter political war against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the state has witnessed a succession of targeted killings in recent weeks, exposing complete breakdown of law and order while the BJP-led Centre is accused of patronising criminal networks for political vendetta against AAP.
Killing of anti-drug activist
On October 13, 2026, anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota was shot dead at a chemist shop in Mansa, leaving four associates injured, while chemist owner Ashwani Kumar was subsequently arrested in Rajasthan.
On October 11, ASI Iqbal Singh of the Counter Intelligence wing, posted in Ferozepur, was murdered on Naushehra Pannuan-Lauhka Road in Tarn Taran, while Prabh Dasuwal and Doni Bal allegedly claimed responsibility online. The killing of six ASIs within a year has raised serious concerns over law and order in Punjab.
On October 6, AAP sarpanch Ashwani Kumar, also reported as Ashwani Devgan, was shot dead in Toot village, Tarn Taran.On October 4-5, ASI Sukhchain Singh of the Government Railway Police was injured in an attack near Ajnala and Jagdev Khurd, Amritsar.
On October 3-4, influencer and make-up artist Madhusudan Singh, known as Mad Sandhu, was murdered on Loharka Road, Amritsar, while Goldy Dhillon and Lucky Johal allegedly claimed responsibility. Accused Jobanpreet was subsequently arrested in Mumbai and weapons were recovered.
Targeting of sarpanchs
During the same period, former sarpanch Navtej Singh Neetu, 57, was shot dead in Manewal, Ludhiana, while former sarpanch Jagtar Singh alias Tara, 65, was hacked to death with an axe at Jassi Pauwali Chowk, Bathinda.
On September 18, ASI Harjit Singh was shot dead while on PCR duty at Bhagtanwala grain market, Amritsar, and one alleged accused was subsequently killed in an encounter. On September 12-13, gunmen fired at Punjabi singer Gulab Sidhu’s residence in Barnala, with claims linked to Doni Bal, while ASI Jaswant Singh was injured in a separate attack in the Amritsar area.
In May 2026, ASI Joga Singh was shot dead near Majitha, a salon worker was killed in Amritsar amid gang rivalry, and a murder-case witness was targeted in Kapurthala.In February, ASI Gurnam Singh and Home Guard Ashok Kumar were killed near a checkpost in Gurdaspur, while additional AAP functionaries and local leaders, including a sarpanch attending a wedding in Tarn Taran, were attacked.Institute for Conflict Management and related trackers recorded approximately 31 gangster-related fatalities in Punjab in 2025, including 19 civilians and around 21 targeted killings, compared with roughly 9 fatalities in 2024, showing a sharp escalation.
Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Gurdaspur, Ferozepur, Mansa, Ludhiana and Bathinda repeatedly feature in reports of motorcycle-borne gunmen, local recruits, overseas criminal networks, extortion, revenge killings, witness intimidation, land disputes and drug-related violence.
Bishnoi central to investigations
Lawrence Bishnoi, incarcerated in India since approximately 2014 and held in a high-security Gujarat jail, remains central to investigations into a criminal network operating through associates abroad. Police and investigative agencies have linked the network to the 2022 killing of singer Sidhu Moosewala, claimed by associates including Goldy Brar, and to alleged extortion, shootings and rivalries across Punjab, Haryana and other regions.National Investigation Agency assessments have described hundreds of operatives, many linked to Punjab, while reported rivalries involving Goldy Brar factions, the Bambiha group, Doni Bal and Prabh Dasuwal have fuelled further violence.
In October 2026, alleged network members were reportedly injured during a police firing incident in Panchkula, while extortion and shooting cases continued in the Mohali-Chandigarh tricity area.
Delhi protecting Bishnoi
AAP ministers accuse the BJP-led Centre of protecting and patronising Bishnoi by refusing to transfer him to Punjab for production in local cases.
The issue has international dimensions. In September 2023, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that authorities were pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between Indian government agents and the June 18, 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia, a Canadian citizen designated a terrorist by India.
An October 2024 Washington Post report cited Canadian officials describing alleged links involving Indian intelligence, diplomats, the Bishnoi syndicate and targeting of Sikh separatists and South Asian communities, while Canada reported concerns involving homicides, extortion, intimidation and coercion.
Role of Indian diplomats in Canada
Reports identified at least six Indian diplomats in Canada as involved in intelligence gathering concerning individuals subsequently killed, attacked or threatened, claims that India has disputed.
Canada has listed the Bishnoi Gang as a terrorist entity.In July 2026, US federal prosecutors in Los Angeles reportedly unsealed indictments under Operation Hard Ball involving 37 defendants across three India-based organised-crime groups accused of racketeering, extortion, drug trafficking and other offences spanning the United States, Canada and Europe.
The reported indictment implicated Lawrence Bishnoi and Satinderjeet Singh, known as Goldy Brar, in criminal operations. A US case also concerned an Indian national who pleaded guilty to conspiring with a former Indian official in a plot targeting Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, while the Government of India denied official involvement in overseas violence.
Observers said Modi’s government cannot simply turn Punjab’s worsening security crisis into a weapon against AAP while questions surrounding criminal networks, intelligence coordination and international allegations remain unresolved.
From approximately 9 fatalities in 2024 to 31 in 2025 and a succession of reported killings in 2026, Punjab needs effective policing, transparent investigations and accountability, not political vendettas, selective outrage or propaganda while families bury their dead.
