The surrender in Punjab at the hands of Khalistan elements is dangerous for national security

Amritpal Singh is the new poster boy for the Khalistani elements. He walks, talks, dresses and behaves like terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale

It was a dark day for Punjab on Thursday, when the state police decided to cancel the FIR against a close aide of self-proclaimed religious leader and Khalistan backer, Amritpal Singh.

The police said that enough evidence had been obtained proving the innocence of Lovpreet Toofan, an aide of Singh.

The decision by the Punjab police came following a protest by the supporters of Amritpal and Toofan. Incidentally the protest was staged with swords, guns and lathes and reports said that those agitating had attacked a police station and even attacked police personnel.

Amritpal Singh has gained traction in Punjab off late and he has openly backed the Khalistan movement. It is not an ordinary movement as it seeks the separation of Punjab from India. Singh incidentally acts like terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.

An official explains to OneIndia that such acts of violence and then a surrender are extremely dangerous for national security.

This also come at a time when the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is tirelessly trying to back off Khalistan elements, both in India and those hiding like cowards abroad. Since the registration of the case by the NIA, popularly known as the gangster-terrorist nexus case, the agency has carried out four mammoth pan-India raids and arrested scores of gangsters and terror sympathisers.

The official cited above said that the security in the state of Punjab remains a concern. While on one hand, the the ISI is trying to revive the Khalistan movement with the help of terrorists and gangsters on the other they are propping up religious leaders to gain traction among the common people of Punjab.

In December last year, former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh had briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the law and order situation in the state. He also made a reference to the growing clout of Amritpal Singh and said that it was a matter of concern. "I had seen how the state of Punjab had gone down during the days of Bhindranwale and today the state is heading down the same path," Captain told reporters after the meeting with PM Modi.

The Punjab police has clearly not done much about the growing clout of Amritpal Singh. His roots in Dubai have not been checked properly. Union Minister, Hardeep Singh Puri had recently said that all know that he is from Dubai, but has anyone checked his track record. Lakshmi Kanta Chawla, senior BJP leader had said that Amritpal is an agent of the foreign intelligence agencies.

Many of his acts are going unchecked, especially those sermons where he openly propagates for the need of a Khalistan nation. Is that not good enough for the Punjab police to act asks a counter-terrorism expert. The police is also yet to act on the case of Sudhir Suri, a Hindu who was shot dead by Sandeep Singh alias Sunny on November 4. Videos have surfaced where Sunny is seen standing with Amritpal, but the police have remained tight-lipped about the same.

The rise of Amritpal Singh and the kind of violence Punjab witnessed coupled with the meek action by the Punjab police does not bode well with national security. The Khalistan issue is a matter of national concern. One one hand the NIA is trying to shut down this menace by conducting raids in India while also working with the international agencies. On the other, the Punjab police is not doing enough to compliment the national agencies and this in the long run could become a very problematic issue for the security agencies.