Khalistan leader’s arrest
Although Indian police were able to finally end their month-long manhunt for Sikh separatist leader Amritpal Singh, the circumstances under which he is being kept and moved around have created further concern about New Delhi’s terrible human rights record. Singh has been arrested under India’s draconian National Security Act, which allows for individuals to be detained without being formally charged for up to a year. Also, despite being from Punjab, he will be held at Dibrugarh jail in Assam, some 2,500km away on the other side of the country. Several other pro-independence Sikhs are also being held at the same jail.
While Singh was clearly a flawed character providing rudderless leadership, the excesses of the Indian government after his initial criminal actions have drawn condemnation from across the world, especially among the Sikh diaspora. Indian authorities’ active pursuit of Singh began in March, a few days after his supporters stormed a police station where one of his top lieutenants was being held. In the year prior, he had quickly become the most noticeable pro-Khalistan Sikh leader, largely due to his break from the mostly nonviolent pro-independence movement. Interestingly, many Sikhs who are critical of his calls to violence have also noted that his rhetoric — including the calls for violence — mirrors that of Hindutva leaders, who rarely face any pushback for their conduct.
While some analysts brushed aside Singh’s influence as being limited to a pocket of the Sikh community, India’s reaction — including shutting down the internet in Punjab — does not align with someone who is just a nuisance. Indeed, even non-controversial groups, such as the administrators of the Akal Takht, initially asked Singh to surrender but later had to question and condemn the government’s overreach. Whether or not Sikh separatist sentiment is a legitimate threat to India is debatable. What is not debatable is the Modi government’s assault on fundamental human rights.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 25th, 2023.
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