Six to eight districts’ police are out in Punjab to arrest Amritpal Singh. 78 of his associates have been arrested and their (licensed?) weapons have been seized. Since yesterday afternoon the news of Amritpal Singh’s arrest have been relayed. Some even said where he’d be taken next. But the police confirmed – and till the London early morning of March 19th – they were still looking out for Amritpal Singh. It’s a massive crackdown, including the Punjab Police as well as the Rapid Police Force and CRPF, the latter being called in Punjab on the context of looking over the annual celebrations of the Sikh festival Hola Mohalla; the same seems to be used to capture Amritpal Singh now.
The national media – Hindi and English – spread venom the whole day about WPD (Waris Punjab De) organization, whose leader is Amritpal Singh, and its leader. Even some of the Punjabi news channels owned by the big media houses used the time and the situation to garner some views by relaying the enraging comments on him and his demands. Throughout the day the social media was busy portraying him as if he’s a terrorist or declared war against the Indian State. Nobody talked about the Khalsa Vaheer, druggies he’s taking care of, his message to leave the drugs and connect with Sikhi, and his openness to sit together and discuss everything, including Khalistan, because that’s not the part of the propaganda. People outside of Punjab – the non-Sikhs mainly – know the situation and events based on what the national media speak of, which has never been in the favour of Sikhs and Punjab.
One of these big media houses’ Punjabi channel showed a journalist who said Amritpal Singh should have surrendered as he’s very witty and gritty in his speeches, he should not have ‘run’, etc. The major question which the official story tellers leave behind is: if the police were going to arrest him for so and so reasons, they should have gone to him with an arrest warrant, or maybe summoned him to the local police station, why were there thousands of police officers and central forces to capture him? He is chased as if he called for a genocide or did so. Those who have genocidal instincts and speaking of repeating 1984 are roaming free.
When a gangster (Lawrence Bishnoi) gave two interviews from the jail with a mobile phone, nothing made the police lose their wits. Now think of Jagtar Singh Hawara giving the same and the reaction of Punjab Police. When the charred bodies of two men were found in Haryana, how many prime time debates have you seen airing? When a Hindu Mahapanchayat, which consists the members of Bajrang Dal and VHP, said the police can come on their legs to arrest Monu Manesar but won’t go back on their legs, for how many days the news was relayed about their comments on police? How many companies of CRPF and RPF were called in? Now think how the Indian nationalists would’ve lost their wits if Amritpal Singh had said the same. Think how the national media would have reacted if the charred bodies were found in Punjab. This is how the narrative is set. This is how the focus is shifted. This is how some people don’t have any crackdown for their speeches and actions because they are privileged and part of the majority.
With all this, one important question remains: Where is Amritpal Singh? Police have said they’ve not captured him. I don’t know how truthful that statement is. Before the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, the Hindu pilgrims were asked to leave the Kashmir Valley because of the ‘terror threats’, and the heavy force was deployed. What happened next is history. What I’m saying is police can lie for their operations. It is hard to understand after deploying thousands of men in Punjab, they aren’t able to apprehend Amritpal Singh; it only shows he’s better than what the police thought.
Some Sikhs have shown apprehensions that he has already been captured and tried to be sent outside of Punjab. Some even feared his extrajudicial killing by the police, which the history shows they will do if they get orders from the top. We have seen this happening when thousands of Sikhs were killed in the name of terrorism in 1980s and 1990s in Punjab, India.
Mobile internet services and SMS are suspended in Punjab, but broadbands are working fine. If Amritpal Singh is still out there, at least we should get a confirmation on him being alive and safe. I believe he’s not in a car anymore. He might have taken refuge at someone’s house. If not, he soon should do to let people know about his safety.
Initially, I believed the manhunt was due to the G20 Summit in India, Amritsar being a key centre to that, and the Khalsa Vaheer that was supposed to start. But that really would be stupid because the Punjab Police should be aware of the reactions of Sikhs if they go behind the man who has a huge following and has become their inspiration. We have seen it in the Ajnala incident. Now when the police are saying they haven’t captured him, and there is no knowing of Amritpal Singh, the Sikhs would be storming the streets to protest. The AAP supporters and Sangh members are busy in name-calling and asking for his killing by the police. They can never be friends of the Punjab. Bhagwant Mann and AAP should also know that this will be remembered by the Sikhs. Like the Kotakpura firing is a blot to the Badal Family, similarly the same fate will follow AAP.
If something happens to Amritpal Singh, the situation will really go out of hands. The Police and AAP government will be directly responsible for that. The easiest way should have been to call him to the police station.
This witch-hunt may turn out to be the biggest mistake of the decade.