The ugly rise of Amritpal Singh: Has AAP proved K P S Gill’s words absolutely right?

The surrender by the Punjab Police at the hands of Amritpal Singh’s supporters does not bode well for the security of the state. The fact that Punjab is a border state makes matters even worse

The Punjab Police committed a humongous blunder by bowing before radical Sikh leader, Amritpal Singh and giving into his demand of releasing his aide Lovepreet Toofan.

The Intelligence agencies have for long warned the Punjab administration about Amritpal Singh, but the warnings were clearly ignored and this has led to the rise of Amritpal Singh.

Amritpal who out of the blue landed in Punjab and took over the Waris Punjab De following the death of Deep Sidhu was based in Dubai. According to a report in the Times of India, Amritpal would read about terrorist, Jarnail Bhindranwale and other radicals during the time of COVID-19. He gradually developed ties with radical elements such as Deep Sidhu and even began interfering in the farmer protests. It was at this time that he was identified by Pakistan's ISI, which decided to prop him as a pro-Khalistan icon. The ISI has for long tried to bring back the Khalistan movement in Punjab and in Amritpal, they found the perfect candidate.

The way in which he conducts himself and speaks is all part of the plan, a senior official explained to OneIndia. He has intentionally modelled himself on the lines of Bhindranwale as it will help him get the desired traction. The danger is that he appeals to a section of the people who have been born in the post-militancy era. Those who have lived through the militancy-era may not necessarily subscribe to his views, but the danger that persists is among the youth.

Another danger that persists that Punjab is a border state. Security in such areas is extremely crucial. The ISI's focus on Punjab in the past couple of years has been very high. There has been a rise in the number of incidents in which drones have been dropping off arms. Planned and targeted killings of non-Sikhs in Punjab have also witnessed a rise. The attack on the Intelligence Bureau headquarters of the Punjab Police is yet another incident which calls for an overhaul of the security mechanism.

In this context one must revisit the statements made by dare-devil cop, K P S Gill. In 2017, Gill, the officer who tore down terrorism in Punjab had said that there would be a rise in terror activity in Punjab. He had said that it is due to the activities of some political parties that there would be a rise in terrorism in Punjab.

"Actually I had predicted that because of the activities of some political parties, there will be terrorist incidents," Gill had told The Indian Express on January 29 2017.

The AAP had unwittingly provided a platform for radical NRIs whose sole agenda is to spread terrorism in Punjab. If the BJP, Congress or Shiromani Akali Dal come to power these radicals will not be raise their ugly head in Punjab, but the same cannot be said of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), he had said.