Huge violence broke out in Punjab in February, after hundreds of Singh’s supporters stormed a police station, demanding the release of an arrested aide.
The mob of angry young men, holding guns and swords broke down barricades and only left the grounds after getting an assurance that Lovepreet Singh alias Toofan, an accused in a case involving kidnapping, would be released. Police officials claim that they had been unable to stop the crowd as they were carrying Guru Granth Sahib the holy book venerated by Sikhs as a shield, many policemen were also injured.
Amritpal Singh recently returned from Dubai and was appointed as chief of ‘Waris Punjab De’ (Heirs of Punjab), an organisation formed to voice the rights of people in Punjab, an outfit formed by actor-activist Deep Sidhu on September 30, 2021, ahead of the Punjab Assembly Elections.
Who is Deep Sidhu? Sidhu first made headlines in a farmer’s protest in 2020, accused of hoisting the Sikh flag on Republic Day at the Red Fort. Sidhu formed the organisation saying it is “not a political party,” rather a “social platform” for the “rights of Punjab.” Sidhu died in a car crash in Feburary, 2022.
The radical group, WPD came into controversy in September 2022 when Amritpal Singh returned from Dubai, dressed and behaved like Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, he became the head of the organisation with the ‘dastar bandi’ ceremony, attended by thousands who hailed pro-Khalistani slogans. Sidhu’s family, however, distance themselves saying they never appointed Singh as the chief.
Amriptpal Singh, fashions himself, styles his turban, looks, behaves, and got his pictures clicked in the same piercing manner and said “I am propagating for a separate state and it’s not a crime if I am trying to do it in a peaceful manner,” in an interview, claiming it to be the only “permanent solution” to Punjab’s problems, from water disputes to drug addiction to the erosion of Punjabi culture. Singh was initially called Bhindranwale 2.0.
Singh flawlessly drew parallels between the idea of Sikh sovereignty and the Hindu nationalist identity. Where Punjab has problems like unemployment, a farming crisis, and socioeconomic outstanding, Singh and WPD now-ideologies are claimed to be reliving justice to the ‘rights of Punjab.’ Singh’s popularity can be attributed to the frustation of youth of the state.
Social media has played a significant role in Singh’s popularity as it allowed him to connect with the masses easily. In November, Singh led a month-long religious procession across the state to encourage Sikhs to become baptised through the ‘amrit ceremony,’ leave drug consumption, and ditch customs such as dowry and caste-based discrimination.
Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Sukhchain Singh Gill on Monday said they have a very strong suspicion of an ISI angle and foreign funding for the radical group.
Reportedly, with the help of overseas Sikh separatists, Pakistan’s external spy agency ISI has been the brain behind pushing Singh back to India with an aim to revive terrorism in Punjab.
Singh, aged around 30, was a truck driver in Dubai before the ISI, with the help of Khalistan supporters based outside India, radicalised him so that he could plunge Punjab.
Singh even threatened Home Minister Amit Shah by referring to the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. “Amit Shah had said that he won’t let Khalistan movement rise. I had said that the same was done by Indira Gandhi, and if you do the same, then you’d have to face consequences. If the home minister says the same to those demanding ‘Hindu Rashtra’, then I’ll see if he remains the Home Minister,” Amritpal Singh said while leading protests at the Ajnala police station, last month.
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