Amritsar Punjab Police gave in to protests on Friday and released a key aide of Sikh radical leader Amritpal Singh from jail, telling a court that he was found not guilty in an abduction case, as the separatist preacher’s unprecedented storming of a police station in Amritsar district sent shock waves through the state.
Amritpal, the 30-year-old leader of radical Sikh group “Waris Punjab De”, ended the day with a show of strength at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, the holiest seat of Sikhism, even as the weak police response stoked a political controversy and sparked concerns that the rule of law was eroding in the border state.
“This is a victory of the panth (faith),” Amritpal told reporters in Amritsar.
Thousands of Amritpal’s supporters marched into Ajnala town on Thursday afternoon defying prohibitory orders, clashed with the police, broke through barricades, fought pitched street battles and finally laid siege to the local police station for hours. Amritpal withdrew the stir only after police assured him the release of his aide, Lovepreet Singh “Toofan”, who was imprisoned in an abduction-and-assault case.
“It was false case registered against me and thanks to efforts of sangat, I am being released today. Such actions are taken against us to make Sikh community feel like slave in this country,” said Lovepreet.
He walked out of Amritsar Central Jail on Friday afternoon, after the police moved a discharge application in a local court and said the accused’s role was not established in the investigation.
“Accused is not guilty of any offence and he was not present at the time of commission of offences. Since the accused is no more required by the investigating officer for judicial custody and accordingly, the accused is discharged from the custody only and be released,” read the court order, signed by Manpreet Kaur, subdivisional judicial magistrate.
A victorious Amritpal led supporters to prayers at the Golden Temple in the evening, accompanied by Lovepreet, hundreds of supporters and the Panj Pyaras — five ceremonial holy men, considered the beloved ones of the guru. In a bus behind them was a holy saroop (scripture) of the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy book.
“I want to tell the DGP that if they take any illegitimate action, it will again lead to protests,” Amritpal told reporters in Amritsar. The police must take action against those who lodged a “fake FIR” against his supporters, he said.
The controversy began on February 17, when Punjab Police booked Amritpal and 30 of his supporters for allegedly kidnapping and thrashing Varinder Singh, a radical Sikh youth who was once a follower of Amritpal. Varinder Singh alleged that Amritpal and his associates abducted him from Ajnala and took him to an unknown place where he was brutally beaten. Tensions spiked after Amritpal announced on Wednesday that he, along with supporters, will stage a protest outside the Ajnala police station, where the case was registered under sections 365 (kidnapping), 379-B (snatching), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 506 (criminal intimidation), 148 (rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly) of the Indian Penal Code. Section 295 (hurting religious sentiments) of the IPC was added to the first information report (FIR) later.
Police clamped restrictions on all roads leading to Ajnala to prevent the gathering, but to no avail. By afternoon, thousands of supporters led by the Waris Punjab De chief clashed with police personnel, broke through barricades, fought pitched street battles, and then laid siege to the police station. It was only after the police agreed to discharge Lovepreet that the protesters lifted the dharna. Six policemen were injured in the clashes.
Amritpal, a supporter of “Khalistan”, remained defiant. “Our aim for Khalistan shouldn’t be seen as evil and taboo. It should be seen from an intellectual point of view as to what could be its geopolitical benefits. It’s an ideology and an ideology never dies. We are not asking for it from Delhi,” he said.
The state police defended its action. Punjab director general of police Gaurav Yadav said the force acted with “utmost restraint” as the protesters were carrying a copy of the Guru Granth Sahib in a procession. “Had police opened fire, it would have led to more issues… Punjab Police is a battle-hardened force and we have won a victory against terrorism. We have maintained harmony in Punjab and the state will continue to fight the nation’s battle… this conspiracy shall not be allowed to succeed,” he added.
The decision of the protesters to carry a copy of the holy book sparked a row as several Sikh scholars objected to it.
“If someone fights against oppression, against the suppression of human rights or for the rights of Sikhs, then he should be supported directly or indirectly. In this process it is also necessary to pray to Guru Sahib and take blessings. Where, while struggling, there is a fear of diminishing the dignity of Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji, we must think over it and we should take guidance from ancient history,” said Giani Harpreet Singh, the acting chief of the Akal Takht, the holiest seat of religious authority in Sikhism.
Chief Khalsa Diwan president and Cabinet minister Inderbir Singh Nijjar said, “What happened there was unfair. The police station is not the place to where the holy saroop is be taken. It should not have been done. This has hurt our sentiments.”
“By doing so, the Sikhs themselves committing sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib,” said Harpal Singh Pannu, a noted Sikh scholar and retired professor of religious studies from Punjabi University Patiala.
The incident sparked a political row, with the Opposition alleging that the incident brought back memories of the turbulent 1980s where separatism and extremist leaders clashed violently with state forces.
Leader of opposition in Punjab and former Congress MP Partap Singh Bajwa said, “Bloody clashes in Ajnala have left many speechless about complete collapse of law and order in Punjab. This does not augur well for Punjab, especially when a summit is being organised to attract investments from across the globe. CM Bhagwant Mann really needs to pull up his socks.”
SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal came down heavily against both the BJP government at the Centre and the AAP government in Punjab for vitiating the atmosphere in the state. “They are out to communally polarise the state,” Badal said.
Punjab BJP president Ashwani Sharma also condemned the incident. “The Bhagwant Mann government has failed to maintain law and order in the state. No person or organisation has the right take the law in their hands. Using Guru Granth Sahib while capturing the police station is nothing but a sacrilege. The Sikh religious leaders should intervene into this matter.”
