Indian police have been searching since Saturday for Sikh preacher Amritpal Singh, who and his supporters have been calling for the creation of an independent state, Khalistan. Nearly 114 people were arrested and...

India: Sikh separatist preacher's run puts Punjab authorities on the teeth

Sikh separatist preacher Amritpal Singh leaves the Golden Temple in Amritsar surrounded by his supporters on March 3, 2023. © Stringer / Reuters

Text by: Pierre Fesnien Follow

4 mn

Advertising

For the fourth day in a row, several million people in Punjab were still without access to the Internet on Tuesday, March 21. A break that the authorities justified by the need to avoid the spread of "rumours" and "false news" about Amritpal Singh's escape. The Punjab government also announced that internet access restrictions had been partially lifted later in the day.

Since Saturday, the Sikh separatist preacher has been actively sought by hundreds of police officers in Punjab after a massive demonstration by his supporters outside a police station in Ajnala near the Sikh holy city of Amritsar in February. The protesters, some armed with guns and swords, demanded the release of Lovepreet Toofan, a relative of Singh charged with kidnapping. Faced with the pressure of the crowd and the risk of clashes with the police, he was finally released. Six police officers were injured.

The new leader of Waris Punjab De

Six relatives of the preacher, as well as his uncle, have already been arrested and charged under India's strict national security law, four of whom were incarcerated in a prison in the state of Assam on Monday. According to Punjab Police Inspector General Sukhchain Sikh Gill, numerous weapons as well as vehicles used by separatist militants from Waris Punjab De have been found, including a Mercedes that allowed Amritpal Singh to flee on Saturday after a chase with police. To this day, he still cannot be found.

Dozens of Indian police officers patrol Amritpal Singh's home village near Jallupur Kheira 45km from Amritsar on March 19, 2023. AFP - NARINDER NANU

Amritpal Singh, 30, is the new leader of the Waris Punjab De organization, whose name could be translated as "The Heirs of Punjab," which demands the creation of a Sikh separatist state called Khalistan by preaching radical Sikhism. He took over from the organization's founder, Deep Sidhu, following his death in a car accident on February 15, 2022.

Amritpal Singh's past remains rather unclear. He is known to have been born on 17 January 1993 in Jallupur Khaira, Amritsar district, where he lived a good part of his life. In 2012, he emigrated to Dubai to work in the transport company of one of his uncles. At the time, he did not wear a beard or turban until his return to Punjab where he appeared dressed in the same way as a devout Sikh and where he was officially appointed successor to Deep Sidhu as head of Waris Punjab De.

Punjab Police releases a few pictures of 'Waris Punjab De' chief Amritpal Singh.

"There are several pictures of Amritpal Singh in different attraction. We are releasing all of these pictures. I request you display them so that people can help us to arrest him in this case," says... https://t.co/ZGh5aOs5jq pic.twitter.com/wh7gNb4BUA

— ANI (@ANI) March 21, 2023

Violent separatist movements in favour of Khalistan

The state of Punjab, home to 57% Sikhs and 39% Hindus, experienced violent separatist movements in favour of Khalistan in the 1980s and early 1990s, which left thousands dead. The violence culminated in 1984 during Operation Blue Star, which aimed to quell the Sikh insurgency. The Indian army's assault on separatists holed up in the Golden Temple in Amritsar left more than 400 people dead, including iconic Sikh separatist leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. This event then led a few months later to the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by two of her Sikh bodyguards.

Amritpal Singh now plays a lot of his resemblance to Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, so much so that some of his supporters call him "Bhindranwale 2.0". The growing popularity of the new leader of Waris Punjab There are fears of an upsurge in violence, even if the Punjab authorities are reassuring. "We have arrested 114 people so far and peace and harmony reign over the entire state," police said Monday.

While the situation remained calm in Punjab, Singh's supporters ransacked the Indian consulate in San Francisco, while similar incidents took place in London before the Indian High Commission, which led to the summoning of a senior British diplomatic representative to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs to obtain explanations for the lack of protection of the premises.

Khalistani extremists attack and vandalise Indian consulate in San Francisco, USA.

🛰️ Catch the day's latest news ➠ https://t.co/f8CctkalcQ pic.twitter.com/AelkbVemFY

India: Sikh separatist preacher's run puts Punjab authorities on the teeth

India: Sikh separatist preacher's run puts Punjab authorities on the teeth

The new leader of Waris Punjab De

Violent separatist movements in favour of Khalistan

You may like

Trends 24h

Latest