Separatism needs to be weeded out with strong will

Two terrible events occurred last week. First, in several towns in Haryana, mahapanchayats assembled in support of Monu Manesar, a murder accused. These mahapanchayats openly threatened the Rajasthan police to not dare arrest Monu and that if any police squad tried to do so, no one in that squad would be spared.

Second, a sizeable group of armed Sikhs attacked the Ajnala police station in Amritsar, Punjab, protesting against the arrest of Lovepreet Toofan Singh, a close companion of Waris Punjab De head Amritpal Singh. Amritpal , who masterminded the attack, also warned the Punjab police of terrible consequences. So, why is the atmosphere in Punjab again getting vitiated?

Before we go into that, let us discuss Monu, an accused in the murder of Junaid and Nasir, who were suspected of smuggling cows. Gopalgarh police, in the Bharatpur district of Rajasthan, had registered the case.

But why are the mahapanchayats supporting a murder accused, and is their pressure working? The Rajasthan police recently made public pictures of the suspects behind the murder. Monu’s picture was not among them. Does the Rajasthan police believe he was not involved? Or is the government hesitant to reveal him as a suspect as it is under pressure from the mahapanchayats.

The cow holds a highly revered place in Hinduism. Millions worship it. So the outrage of people over smuggling of cows for slaughter is understandable. But protecting constitutional principles is equally important. Several efforts are being made now, though, to deem the constitution as non-essential.

In that light, what happened in Amritsar is more startling. Punjab is not new to bloodshed. At the beginning of the 1980s, Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who was acclaimed as a saint by many and was called “Santji”, used to give sermons against India. His deadly concoction of religion, hatred, and separatism took only a little while to spark a killing spree.

In no time, the ‘khadku’ (a Punjabi term for a militant Sikh), began robbing banks and killing ‘mona’ (Sikhs who do not keep untrimmed hair) in Punjab, Delhi, and Haryana. Santji awed or terrified everyone in the Punjab police. Amid the chaos, Pakistan almost decided to recognize a fictitious country called Khalistan. Bhindranwale was the poster boy of this misguided dream.

To put an end to this, India launched Operation Blue Star, the results of which were disastrous. In its aftermath, Indira Gandhi, then prime minister, was killed. Individuals such as Amritpal, who has claimed Bhindranwale as his ideal, are attempting to rekindle the same flames.

The pace at which Amritpal has made headlines is astounding. This 29-year-old man from Amritsar had moved to Dubai at the age of 19 after finishing his class XII. He used to run a transportation business in Dubai, but following the death of Deep Sidhu, accused in the Red Fort incident on 26 January 2021, he returned to Punjab. He joined the organization Waris Punjab De founded by Sandhu and has risen to its helm. Dressed as Bhindranwale, he declares plainly, “The Tricolour is not our flag; this flag has done numerous atrocities against us.”

Who is behind Amritpal? Former Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh refers to Amritpal as an ISI pawn. Is it a coincidence that on one hand, Hindu temples in Australia and Canada are being attacked, while on the other, such elements are raising their heads in Punjab? Some recent NIA arrests show that the ISI is still active, and fundamentalists from Canada are building their “modules” in India, with the connivance of ISI.

In such a situation, it is essential that people like Amritpal be kept in check. But what did the Punjab police do? It agreed to release Lovepreet following the Ajnala incident. Are we going to tackle separatism in this manner? The Punjab government must recognize that repeating the mistakes made during Bhindranwale’s time can be disastrous.

Mahapanchayats held in favour of Monu also demonstrate the might of the mob over the Constitution. The nuisance of Ajnala and the character of mahapanchayats in Haryana may appear to be different on the surface, but the desire to hijack the essential spirit of the Constitution is the same in both cases. This is incompatible with India’s goals as it prepares to become a superpower.

From the Red Fort on 15 August 2017, the Prime Minister sent a strong message to such people. Perhaps, the governments of Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan would recognize the essence of those words.

Shashi Shekhar is editor-in-chief, Hindustan. Views are personal.