NIA conducts searches at 15 locations linked to Babbar Khalsa International in Punjab

The Hindu

16-05-2025

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday (May 16, 2025) conducted searches on 15 locations linked to banned terror outfit Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) in different parts of Punjab, in connection with the grenade attack on a police station in Gurdaspur last December.
'Cracking down further on the activities of the banned Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) terrorist group, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday searched 15 locations in Punjab, in connection with the grenade attack on a police station in Gurdaspur district in December last year,' said the agency.
The searches were carried out in the Gurdaspur, Batala, Amritsar, and Kapurthala districts of Punjab, leading to the seizure of various 'incriminating' materials, including mobiles/digital devices and documents.
'On the radar were premises of suspects linked with US-based BKI operative and gangster Harpreet Singh aka Happy Passian and his nodes Shamsher Singh Shera aka Honey along with others based in various countries. A key aide of Pakistan-based BKI terrorist Harwinder Singh aka Rinda, Happy, has been found to be responsible for recently orchestrating numerous grenade attacks on various police stations and police posts in the States of Punjab and Haryana,' it said.
In the U.S.
On April 17, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Enforcement and Removal Operations of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement had arrested 'terrorist' Happy Passian in the U.S. He is allegedly involved in the conspiracy behind 16 terror attacks, including 14 grenade attacks in Punjab.
Between 2023 and 2025, the 29-year-old accused also played a central role in orchestrating targeted killings and extortion across Punjab and other States. The NIA had announced a reward of ₹5 lakh for his arrest related to the hand grenade attack on a house in Chandigarh in September 2024.
He had gone to Dubai in April 2018, from where he returned in February 2019 and then went to the United Kingdom in October 2020, before he shifted to the U.S. It is suspected that Passian was initially associated with the members of Jaggu Bhagwanpuria gang members, after which he came in contact with Rinda.
In the March 2024 Chandigarh grenade attack case, the NIA submitted a chargesheet against four alleged BKI operatives — Rinda, Passian, Rohan Masih, and Vishal Masih.
In the present case related to the hand grenade attack on Ghanie Ke Bangar police station (Gurdaspur), the NIA had found that those arrested for their role were 'acting on the directions' of Passian, along with Shamsher and other aides.