Punjab crackdown not a day too late

On Sunday, in what many consider a pretty belated move, the Punjab police filed an FIR against radical preacher Amritpal Singh and his associates, who they claimed, were in possession of illegal weapons. A massive hunt has been launched to nab the 30-year-old chief of Waris Punjab De, who last month, along with his supporters, had the temerity to break into the Ajnala Police Station near Amritsar, clashing with the cops and ensuring the release of one of their aides.

The incident must surely have evoked painful memories in many who lived through the traumatic decade in Punjab after the horrific assassination of then PM Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards and the phase of terror, when thousands of cops, Khalistani militants and civilians caught in the crossfire, were killed.

Train passengers were massacred, an Air India flight was blown up killing hundreds and bomb blasts became an every-day occurrence, not only in Punjab but also in neighbouring states like Haryana, besides the national capital, Delhi.

And finally, when the phase of militancy petered out in the 1990s after the assassination of top Sikh leader Harcharan Singh Longowal and also the state’s CM Beant Singh, it took many, many years for Punjabis – Sikhs and Hindus alike – to pick up the pieces and rebuild their state and peace. Today, Punjab is one of the wealthier states in India, with several bustling industrial hubs that churn out electrical and sports goods and every spare part you can think of, besides textiles of course.

The state, along with Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, feeds the rest of India with its wheat production that makes up for 16 per cent of the total output. And the Sikhs have always been hardy defenders of the nation’s borders, sacrificing their sturdy youth to make sure hostile elements from across the border do not play havoc with our peace. And what the rest of India loves most about the Sikh is their bubbling enthusiasm, unbridled energy, and zest for life and all the good things it brings along.

So why is the northern state bordering Pakistan facing another spurt in militant tendencies when it is the last thing Punjab needs? Is it a sign of political discontent, which however seems unlikely when the Punjabi has just a year ago, elected to power a government led by the AAP reposing huge faith in the leadership skills of Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Singh Mann? There are lakhs of wealthy Sikhs in affluent countries like Canada, the USA, England and Australia who wield significant political and financial clout in their countries of residence and have done India proud with their contributions.

But there are also jingoistic fringe elements that still harbour pro-Khalistani sentiments despite the idea of a separate Sikh nation receiving a befitting burial after the Bhindrenwale phase died out. And there are always forces from across the border that would be more than willing to lend a helping hand to those out to spoil harmony in Punjab. So the Mann government’s decision to crack down on Amritpal and co has to be lauded, for militancy and more so in a border state, could go out of hand if not nipped in the bud.

There are many who aver that if Jarnail Singh Bhindrenwale, the self-styled leader of the Khalistanis, who forced the state onto the path of bloodshed, had not received a helping hand from then PM Indira Gandhi in her attempt to foil the Akalis, Sikh militancy would not have assumed Frankenstein proportions. The law should therefore be allowed to take its course as far as Amritpal is concerned, so that a clear and stern message goes out to all those out to besmirch Punjab’s fair name again that their nefarious designs are destined to fail.