In India’s Punjab state, a massive police manhunt for a Sikh separatist who has reignited cries for an independent country has raised fears of violence and brought back bitter memories of a brutal rebellion that claimed thousands of lives.
Amritpal Singh, 30, has been missing since March 18 after police charged him with attempted murder, resisting arrest, and inciting “discord” in society. Singh is a key figure in the banned separatist movement that aims to create Khalistan, a sovereign state, for adherents of the Sikh religion, which makes up a small minority in India. Dramatic footage recorded hundreds of Singh’s fans marching through the streets of Punjab, some with swords and weapons, calling for his release. To ensure peace and order, numerous armed police and paramilitary units were stationed in different districts.
In order to “prevent any incitement to violence,” police have so far made over 100 arrests and restricted mobile internet connection for the whole state, knocking roughly 27 million people offline in one of the most widespread blackouts in recent memory. Local media has been dominated by stories of Singh’s manhunt, with sites providing frenetic live updates as the search goes on. Amritpal Singh’s quick ascent to fame has brought the Khalistan movement back to the fore, reigniting concerns of bloodshed in a region that has long struggled with anti-government animosity.
What you should know is as follows.
Amritpal Singh: who is he?
Prior to the passing of actor and activist Deep Sidhu last year, the controversial self-styled preacher was not well known. Sidhu launched the organization Waris Punjab De to defend Sikh rights and supported the nation’s year-long farmer’s revolution. Waris Punjab Demobilized farmers and campaigners, many of whom were Sikh, opposed Narendra Modi, the Indian prime minister, from modernizing the nation’s agricultural industry. Farmers worried that the reforms will result in reduced pricing.
In November 2021, Modi reversed course in an uncommon move. However, Waris Punjab De continues its effort to defend the Sikh faith and Punjabi culture even after the revocation. After Sidhu was murdered in a car accident in February 2022, Amritpal Singh assumed leadership. He organized marches and delivered passionate, often confrontational speeches that helped him acquire support and popularity.
Many Sikhs in the state have taken note of his remarks regarding social issues and defending the religious freedom of Sikhs from what he has called Modi-led Hindu nationalist groups.
Singh has drawn comparisons to Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, a prominent member of the Khalistan movement who was assassinated by the Indian army in 1984 when they invaded the Golden Temple in Amritsar, the holiest site for Sikhs, as part of an operation directed by former prime minister Indira Gandhi. Following that operation, Gandhi was slain by her Sikh bodyguards, which infuriated the Sikh community greatly.
Amritpal Singh referenced Bhindranwale’s words last month when he claimed that when Amit Shah spoke out against Khalistan, he may suffer the same fate as Gandhi. The search for Singh, according to his father Tarsem Singh, was a “conspiracy,” and Singh was attempting to overcome his drug addiction, Tarsem Singh told reporters last week.