Amritpal Singh
The ongoing saga of the fugitive Khalistani, Amritpal Singh, is turning into a suspense thriller. The self-styled controversial leader of the group “Waris Punjab De” has not only, so far, dodged the country’s law and order machinery, but he is now poking them in the eye by releasing social media videos with new demands. Earlier, Singh had surprised many when he succeeded in breaking the police cordon at Moga’s Kamalke village on 18 March. The cordon included SSPs of eight districts, two DIG rank officers, and paramilitary forces, among others.
Police departments across nine states have failed to trace Amritpal Singh. Meanwhile, social media is abuzz with several videos and images purportedly showing him in several states like Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Maharashtra. Nepal’s immigration department has put Amritpal Singh on its watchlist following a request by the Indian embassy after speculations that he might have crossed the Indian border. It is another matter if this action will bear any fruit, especially considering Nepal’s track record in getting hold of such Indian fugitives. The latest rumors suggest Singh might soon surrender at Amritsar’s Golden Temple or at Bathinda’s Damdama Sahib, prompting the police to tighten security at both places. No one is explaining how he could have fled India, dodging such a massive manhunt, and then returned at his sweet will. This cannot happen until there are significant gaps in intelligence inputs or the security apparatus.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has been conducting raids across many places in Punjab since last year to crack down on gangsters and terrorist organizations. Despite Amritpal Singh being touted as Bhindrawale 2.0 in pro-Khalistani circles in India and abroad, why was he not a target of these operations? Is it just a coincidence that only Amritpal Singh’s vehicle managed to escape police during the search operations in Jalandhar? What else can we call it if not sheer ineptitude that one individual is able to get the better of a police force with 80,000 personnel?
Intelligence agencies should also be held accountable. The Central Intelligence Bureau is responsible for overseeing such high-profile cases. While terrorist incidents may have been a thing of the past under PM Modi’s rule, the failure to catch Amritpal Singh raises questions about the effectiveness of our intelligence network. It is a no-brainer that Singh should have been high on the intelligence radar ever since he started openly espousing the separatist agenda. It was already too late by the time his supporters overran the Ajnala police station, which outraged the nation. He should have already been booked under the National Security Act (NSA) by then.
What is the truth about the man we’ve seen wearing various disguises in recent days? He was an unknown until taking command of “Waris Punjab De,” a group formerly led by Deep Sidhu, who died in a mysterious car accident. Sidhu gained notoriety during the farmers’ agitation when he raised the Khalistan flag at the Red Fort on Republic Day. Amritpal Singh has never revealed details about his past in Dubai, where he supposedly lived a secular life. Numerous claims suggest that Singh was associated with notorious drug dealer Jaswant Singh Rode in Dubai, whose brother is active in Pakistan. Upon returning to India, Singh’s life changed drastically, as he became more radicalized, fueling doubts that anti-India agencies had tapped him.
To determine which forces are using Amritpal Singh to destabilize India under the guise of the Khalistani agenda, we must investigate further. How has he managed to evade security agencies? According to numerous reports, Singh was financed by at least 158 foreign accounts, with at least 28 of these accounts receiving over rupees 5 crores. Many of these bank accounts are believed to be connected to Punjab’s Majha and Malwa regions. It’s startling how these transactions evaded tightened foreign funding regulations. Could a hawala link be involved? Amritpal Singh appears to be getting support from drug dealers and Pakistan’s ISI.
Amritpal Singh seems to have many foreign influences. Preliminary police investigations have revealed that he was recruiting naive youth for his private army in the name of an anti-drug campaign. Some reports also suggest that he has a women’s brigade assisting him during his escape, and interestingly, many of his female friends have been found to be providing him shelter for many days. Intelligence sources suggest that the ISI is directing all its sleeper cells to help Amritpal Singh cross the border. Even Singh’s wife, Kirandeep Kaur, has a questionable past. She resides in Britain and is not only a supporter of Khalistan but also allegedly remains in touch with Babbar Khalsa.
All this information helps us complete the puzzle, but we are already late in realizing its significance. Amritpal’s continued evasion of arrest is only enhancing his reputation, and he is audacious enough to threaten the country’s leaders. Punjab, in any case, is a border state with several socio-economic complexities. The malicious narrative of boycotting Sikhs, and radicalized diaspora elements, coupled with the ISI’s nefarious plans, can be a deadly mix for the state. The challenges of failing agriculture, increasing unemployment, and the drug menace are only going to compound this problem.
It is not uncommon in Punjab to sell land for sending a family member abroad. Then, when economic difficulties arise at home, help comes from abroad and gradually the family becomes sensitive to the influence of militant emigrants. The fear created among minorities in India also plays a significant role. This entire narrative spread in the community helps people like Amritpal Singh who are trying to create a larger-than-life image. We have seen this in the case of Bhindrawale as well. To ensure that Punjab does not return to the same insurgency as in the decade of the 1980s, it is necessary that a transparent investigation and prosecution are ensured in this case and the story given a logical conclusion as soon as possible. Otherwise, this “Amrit saga” could prove to be a stain in India’s “Amrit Kaal.”
