The Hindu Editorial Vocabulary– April 25, 2023; Day 426

Warless Punjab: the Amritpal Singh arrest and keeping Punjab peaceful

The Centre and the State must guard against the revival of separatism 

The news, on April 23, of the arrest of Amritpal Singh, a self-appointed campaigner for a separate nation for the Sikhs, was received by the public of Punjab with a sense of relief. He had been on the run (trying to avoid being captured) for weeks, and now faces charges under the National Security Act (NSA) as well as several first information reports. He has turned out to be a cipher (A person of no influence) — neither he nor his cause of Khalistan appears to have any significant support among Sikhs. The secessionist (connected with the fact of an area or group becoming independent from the country or larger group that it belongs to) has been shifted to Dibrugarh jail in Assam, over 2,000 kilometres away from Punjab to avoid any potential turmoil (Violent agitation). Taking over as the head, last year, of ‘Waris Punjab De’, a social organisation established by the late actor-turned-activist Deep Sidhu, Mr. Amritpal’s rise to controversy and infamy (A state of extreme dishonour) was as intriguing (Capable of arousing interest or curiosity) as it was quick. He styled himself after Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, the militant leader who was killed in 1984 after many years of bloodshed (The shedding of blood resulting in murder) in the State. In February, Mr. Amritpal led a mob that had stormed a police station with swords and guns to free compatriots (A person from your own country) from custody, showing the State police and the government in a bad light. But then it was not entirely surprising. For months, he along with his supporters, flaunting (Display proudly) swords, guns and sharp weapons, had moved across Punjab. The question still lingers (Remain present although waning or gradually dying) as to how that was being allowed in Punjab, which has lived through an era of bloody secessionism through the 1980s and 1990s.

Though he comes across as self-styled, the Khalistan propagandist (A person who disseminates messages calculated to assist some cause or some government) appears to have supporters and handlers within and outside India. The State of Punjab is on the border with Pakistan, that has sought to instigate (Provoke or stir up) a section of the population into violence for decades. The campaign for Khalistan is active among the Sikh diaspora (the movement of people away from their own country) too. The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in the State is now patting itself on the back (a show of praise or approval) for the arrest, but the situation should not have reached this point. Even the police operation to nab (Take into custody) him turned out to be an embarrassment, as he managed to flee (Run away quickly) and remain on the loose. Though the instigator is now behind bars, his call for violence and brazen (open and without shame, usually about something that shocks people) communalism, which went on with impunity (Exemption from punishment or loss) for several months, triggered memories of the polarisation between Hindus and Sikhs caused by separatist terrorism that had pulverised (Destroy completely) Punjab for long. The ripple effects (The effect of an event setting off other events in an unexpected way, or in unexpected areas) were felt even in other countries. The Centre and the State, under the Bharatiya Janata Party and AAP, respectively, should work closely to get their administrative actions and political messaging correct and effective to keep Punjab peaceful and insulated from the meaningless lure (Provoke someone to do something through (often false or exaggerated) promises or persuasion) of secessionism.

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