The storming of a police station in Ajnala by armed supporters of Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh using the Sikh holy book Guru Granth Sahib as a shield to free his aide who has been arrested in an abduction case and subsequent capitulation of the police, has left everyone aghast.
Police looked like sitting ducks as hundreds of men armed with swords and guns broke through police barricades erected outside Ajnala Police Station in Amritsar. Six cops were injured in the rampage. This is the second attack on police in a fortnight. On February 8, 33 policemen were injured and dozens of police vehicles damaged after armed protesters seeking the release of Sikh prisoners went on the rampage.
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The Khalistani elements even snatched some arms and ammunition, and tried to kill policemen. The attackers included radicalised minor boys. Pro-Khalistan slogans reverberated in the area. In none of the two incidents, police did not dare use any force.
The police received no orders from the political leadership to use force against the pro-Khalistani mob. Despite being challenged openly by Khalistanis, the administration did not dare to arrest them. Ajnala incident could be an eye opener to the Bhagwant Mann govt which is going soft on the hardliners. This incident is being considered as a shot in the arm for the Khalistani elements.
Amritpal Singh, a 30-year-old engineering dropout who burst on Punjab’s religious-political scene on his return from Dubai last year, is trying to emulate the dreaded extremist leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale – be it giving provocative speeches or dressing up like Bhindrawale, complete with the gole dastaar (round turban) and the bana (gown).
The scenes emerging from Punjab gives a stark reminder of decade-long militancy in Punjab, which has left everyone extremely wary of redux of terrorism that rocked Punjab between 1980s-1990s.
Punjab has lost an entire generation to militancy, waged by Pakistan-backed terrorist groups demanding for a separate country, Khalistan.
So, stoking the spark of separatism in the State is worrying. It needs the active involvement and commitment of the chief minister. But Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann went missing, accompanying his boss Arvind Kejriwal to campaign for upcoming BMC elections.
The rise of Amrit Pal Singh is reminding everyone of the slain architect of Punjab insurgency, Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. Bhindranwale was a small-time priest, who became the supremo of terrorists and occupied the Golden Temple with his armed followers. The Army had to conduct Operation Bluestar in 1984 to flush out the insurgents, for which the country had to pay a huge cost. Not only a large number of army personnel were killed in the operations, months after Bhindranwale’s killing in June 1984, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated to avenge Operation Bluestar.
In recent years, there has been a trend of Bhindranwale’s followers resurging. There has also been a revival of the Khalistani sentiment, fanned by elements outside India, mainly from Canada.
It is no surprise that the Khalistan movement has picked up pace during the regime of AAP government in Punjab. A poster showing Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s photo alongside slain Sikh militant leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale in 2016, had kicked off a row in Punjab. The posters, which urge people to celebrate Bhindranwale’s birthday on February 12 in the state’s gurdwaras, went viral on social media. Allegations were levelled against AAP of playing with fire.
The State and central government should stop playing political games and focus on State’s economy, if it doesn’t want it hurl back to black days of terrorism.
As per reports, the economy of Punjab is trapped in debt trap, where the State’s outstanding debt is projected to increase from Rs 2.83 to 3.05 lakh crore in fiscal year 2022-2023. Punjab has a per capita debt of Rs 1 lakh, making it one of the worst managed economies among Indian states. Unemployment remains one of the main reasons for the spread of drug abuse among the youths in the State, according to media reports.
Pakistan has been fomenting trouble in Punjab and Kashmir Valley since last four decades. The indications are clear that Pakistan wants to stoke fire of militancy and destroy the future of Punjab, which is arguably, the feeding bowl of India, home to one of the most enterprising communities of the country and is the backbone of Indian Army.
Cross-border smuggling of drugs, arms, ammunition and explosives via drones had started coming into notice in 2019; though only one drone was shot down by the BSF in Punjab in 2021, the number saw multi-fold jump by the end of 2022.
The country can’t afford to see Punjab sliding back to rise of militancy. Indian government has to take the matter into its hands by ensuring that the border State is secured by taking on the extremist elements who have mushrooming in the State and take firm steps to revive the State’s failing economy. Just because the State and centre have government of two rival parties, should not lead to petty politics between these two governments as it would be detrimental for the security of the country.
