AI Generated Summary
- A months-long investigation by the Carabinieri has shed fresh light on the November 3, 2024 street battle that left one Indian national dead and exposed a violent nexus of organised crime and pro-Khalistan extremism operating inside Italy.
- Investigators are still mapping the financial flows that linked the gang to SFJ organisers abroad—a probe that could reach well beyond Verona and cast a broader spotlight on the shadow economy sustaining extremist politics in Europe.
- At dawn on 7 May 2025, coordinated raids in Vicenza, Cremona, Parma, Rimini, Brescia and Lodi led to the arrest of six Indian-origin suspects on charges ranging from voluntary homicide to criminal association.
A months-long investigation by the Carabinieri has shed fresh light on the November 3, 2024 street battle that left one Indian national dead and exposed a violent nexus of organised crime and pro-Khalistan extremism operating inside Italy.
The Night of the Attack
Shortly after 7 p.m. on 3 November 2024, two rival groups of Indian-origin men converged on the car park of the IperFamila supermarket in San Bonifacio. Witnesses and CCTV footage reviewed by investigators show more than 40 people arriving with clubs, knives and improvised weapons before a chaotic fight spilled onto Via Villanova. Three men were hospitalised; the most seriously wounded, a 33-year-old asylum-seeker identified in court papers as Gulshan, died of head injuries on 5 November.
Across Northern Italy
Detectives spent six months piecing together licence-plate data, mobile-phone records and social-media posts. At dawn on 7 May 2025, coordinated raids in Vicenza, Cremona, Parma, Rimini, Brescia and Lodi led to the arrest of six Indian-origin suspects on charges ranging from voluntary homicide to criminal association. All are now in pre-trial detention while prosecutors finalise the charge sheet.
Key Figures With Militant Pedigrees
Gurjit Singh (“Jeeta”) and Manjit Singh (“Ladha Gill”)—both long-known to Italian police—emerge as the alleged instigators:
| Name (alias) | Known criminal record | Political activity |
|---|---|---|
| Gurjit Singh (“Jeeta”) | 2017 arrest for possession of military-grade weapons; served three years; multiple FIRs for robbery and intimidation | Regular organiser of Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) rallies; filmed desecrating the Indian flag at Milan’s consulate on 15 Aug 2022 |
| Manjit Singh (“Ladha Gill”) | Four-year prison term for drug and weapons offences | Took part in SFJ’s 2022 “referendum” camps in Brescia and protests in Frankfurt (Mar 2020) |
According to court filings and interview notes seen by this publication, both men received cash payments from SFJ, the US-based campaign that has held unofficial “Khalistan Referendum” votes across Europe. Italian media estimate that as many as 62,000 ballots were cast at one such event in Rome in July 2022.
Extremism Meets Organised Crime
Analysts say the Verona case is a textbook example of how violent criminals embed themselves in diaspora-political networks—and how separatist groups exploit gangster muscle to project strength. A January 2025 investigative report on Italy’s Khalistan scene noted that “the banner is increasingly being co-opted as a shield for hawala operations, drug routes and violent score-settling.”
What Happens Next
Prosecutors in Verona are expected to request fast-track indictments before the summer recess. If convicted of voluntary homicide under aggravating mafia-style circumstances, the principal defendants face up to 30 years in prison.
Beyond the courtroom, the episode has rattled Italy’s 220,000-strong Sikh community. Gurdwara committees in Brescia and Cremona have issued statements distancing themselves from the suspects and pledging stricter vetting of event organisers.
The Carabinieri, meanwhile, have signalled that further arrests are possible. Investigators are still mapping the financial flows that linked the gang to SFJ organisers abroad—a probe that could reach well beyond Verona and cast a broader spotlight on the shadow economy sustaining extremist politics in Europe.
