New Delhi, April 2: Khalistani terrorist groups such as the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) have decided to escalate their activities as they face immense pressure from law enforcement agencies.
This decision comes in the wake of the ISI mobilizing the BKI to step up operations and carry out a major attack in India. With regular attempts by Indian agencies to thwart major attacks, the BKI has decided to focus on smaller attacks and extortion rackets.
An official from the Intelligence Bureau stated that the aim is to continue carrying out smaller attacks on a regular basis. These smaller attacks, when carried out regularly, will keep the police busy, which is what the BKI is looking for to carry out a major attack.
In January 2026, Indian agencies learned of a meeting held with top security officials in Pakistan and the leadership of the BKI. During that meeting, it was decided that the BKI would be the leading organization, and other groups, such as the Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF), would work together as one unit.
For these groups, the improved ties between India, Canada, and the United Kingdom have become a major challenge. Canada and India have been working closely together in recent months to eliminate the Khalistani terror threat. Just a week ago, Canada's House of Commons passed a bill that would make it illegal to display terrorist symbols, such as the flags of Khalistani groups like Babbar Khalsa. This has hampered the activities of groups such as Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), which have organized referendums against India and in favour of the Khalistan movement in various countries.
Officials say that they have noticed a pattern of activities related to the BKI. They have claimed responsibility for the grenade attacks that have been carried out in Punjab. On Wednesday, the BKI claimed responsibility for the low-intensity explosion that was reported outside the Punjab BJP headquarters in Chandigarh. The BKI, while claiming responsibility for the incident, stated that Khalistan would be established soon.
Groups such as the BKI have long sought to establish a separate Khalistan nation in Punjab.
Another official stated that there are clear signs that the BKI has reactivated its grenade attack module. A similar module was busted by the Punjab police. However, recent events suggest that this module is back in action, the official added.
When the previous module was busted in November 2025, the Punjab police found that the accused persons were in contact with their ISI-backed handlers based in Malaysia. They were coordinating the pick-up and delivery of the grenades with the help of these handlers.
Officials say that such modules are meant to carry out low-intensity attacks. The intention currently is not to cause major destruction. The intention is to spread panic and fear among the people and also keep the security agencies on their toes.
Intelligence agencies have warned that the BKI would look to step up operations on a major scale, and hence, a high state of alert would have to be maintained. The BKI and the ISI are desperate and would go to any lengths to push their agenda, the Intelligence Bureau has warned.
