India: 100+ Detained, Internet Cut for 30M as Police Hunt Sikh Separatist
The Facts
A manhunt for a radical Sikh separatist preacher in India entered its third day on Monday as authorities arrested hundreds of his supporters and shut down internet access for approximately 30M people in the state of Punjab.
Amritpal Singh and his supporters, armed with swords and firearms, raided a police station on the outskirts of Amritsar last month to free one of the 30-year-old preacher's jailed supporters. The supporter had been arrested for alleged assault and attempted kidnapping.
The Spin
Narrative A
Pakistan-based Islamist groups and Kashmir-centric terrorist groups are behind Amritpal Singh, a Khalistani activist and currently India’s most wanted and notorious fugitive. It’s no secret that the Khalistan agenda has been primarily kept alive from foreign soil by Sikh hardliners attempting to revive the insurgency in Punjab — India’s only Sikh-majority state — with a massive financial push. The Indian government must come down heavily on all anti-national elements.
Narrative B
Traditional political parties in Punjab have failed to solve long-standing socio-economic crises such as unemployment, drug addiction, and theocratic-political crises including releasing Sikh political prisoners. The erosion of faith within political parties, and not Amritpal Singh, has revived the demand for a larger religious and social transformation in Punjab. However, Amritpal’s radical posturing and the recent increase in activities of pro-Khalistani forces is a dangerous trend that may destabilize the state and the country again.
Narrative C
The passionate protests seen to be growing not only in India but also worldwide are just the beginning of Sikh solidarity. The current treatment of the Punjab area is nearly identical to events preceding the 1984 Sikh genocide. The longer governments worldwide continue to let India treat a minority community in this manner, the more fervent Sikh protests are likely to become.