Early signs ignored: Punjab govt’s response to Amritpal Singh is a disaster

The response by the Punjab police to the violence orchestrated by the supporters of Khalistan backer, Amritpal Singh is laughable. The writing was on the wall and the Punjab administration slept over the issue

The warning was on the wall. The Punjab Police knew well in advance about the rise of the Khalistan movement in the state and yet decided to let Amritpal Singh go on a tirade.

Punjab has in the past been bitten by terrorism. It has cost the country a Prime Minister and a Chief Minister-Indira Gandhi and Beant Singh.

When Amritpal Singh's supporters wrecked havoc, the Punjab police were caught napping. Following the incident, there was criticism galore, but the Punjab police defended their actions on keeping mum.

One statement in particular was laughable. " He (Amritpal) had promised that the protest would be peaceful. However he cheated us." These are just mere excuses and one often wonders if there is some sort of political pressure for the police to remain quiet.

Amritpal is not a new phenomenon. He has been on the rise since the past several months. OneIndia had reported extensively on the subject and even questioned two months back whether he is the new menace in Punjab.

We spoke to several experts on the subject about the rise of Amritpal Singh and were able to conclude that the handling of this man by the Punjab police is nothing short of a disaster.

The Waris Punjab De, which is headed by Amritpal was always in existence and was founded by the late actor, Deep Sidhu. Following Sidhu's death in a road accident, Amritpal Singh was propped up out of nowhere and made its leader. The fact that he came from Dubai out of nowhere and headed a radical movement was not important for the Punjab government. The manner in which he gathered crowds with often sports arms was yet again not important for the Punjab government. His followers are violent and have staged many attacks was yet again not important for the Punjab government.

An official says that, why didn't the Punjab government or the police do enough homework on this man. They let his clout grow and also allowed him to style himself as Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, the dreaded terrorist.

The violence which took place on Thursday was not surprising at all. It showed that Amritpal and his gang were able to secure the release of Lovepreet Toofan by acts of violence. The Punjab police said that the trouble makers had the Guru Granth Sahib in their hands and hence out of respect they did not act. Moreover they also said that had they reacted, the situation could have worsened. Ultimately the result was that Lovepreet was released and the Punjab police witnessed a hostile takeover.

Experts claim that this has gone out of the Punjab government's hand and it is time for the Centre to take up the issue, like was the case in Jammu and Kashmir, where the law and order situation is under control. Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that this agenda will not flourish. We are keeping a watch on the situation and are talking to the Punjab government, Shah had told ANI chief, Smita Prakash. He also said that there is no need to be afraid.