Not his separatist philosophy, but Amritpal Singh found resonance in Punjab’s Khadoor Sahib

Farmers are burning wheat stubble on both sides of the Delhi-Amritsar national highway, leaving a cloud of smoke in their wake. As one leaves Rayya town and heads toward Jallupur Khera, the hometown of Amritpal Singh, a pro-Khalistan activist and National Security Act (NSA) inmate in Dibrugarh Jail, Assam, the mist becomes heavier. He is currently running as an independent in the Khadoor Sahib Lok Sabha seat.

The voters in this part of the constituency don’t appear to be clouded by the smoke. Not far from Jallupur Khera, in the hamlet of Nijjar (not the same as the late Canadian pro-Khalistan activist Hardeep Nijjar), there is a big sign atop a gurdwara that reads, “This village wholeheartedly supports Amritpal in the elections.” Other parties need to abstain from vying for votes here.

A wheat field adjacent to the gurdwara has burned black, as if to “cleanse” it of recalcitrant wheat stalks so that the next crop would grow there. But a mango tree gets caught in the crossfires of this “cleansing” procedure. This season, it will not yield fruit since its leaves and branches have suffered severe burns. That raises the unanswered question: If Amritpal and his group become well-known, may innocent people—especially young people—be caught in the crossfire once more? The image of Amritpal leading a masked crowd to the Ajnala police station in February 2023 in order to release his followers is still vivid in people’s minds. He publicly endorsed “Khalistan” in the same month, saying Sikhs don’t have to demand it from anybody.

“No, it’s not about Khalistan,” the cyclist Surjit Singh, 72, of Gagdewal village responds as he passes by. He continues, “The government has wrongfully imprisoned him.” “Everyone, particularly the younger generation, wants to vote for Amritpal here. I’m not sure, but I think elderly people like me may continue to support the Congress or the Akalis, as our traditional options. Maybe I will also cast a vote for him.

Although the main approach road is made entirely of stone and sand, Jallupur Khera is a rich community with cement buildings and no kucha kotha (poor house). An election observer’s automobile circles the town slowly, attempting to avoid the jagged stones that may puncture his tires. The residence of Amritpal’s maternal uncle, Sukhchain Singh, a retired inspector from the Punjab Police, serves as the candidate’s election office. Less than ten people hold this position, and the most of them are still members of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), which is headed by idealogue and Sangrur MP Simranjit Singh Mann. Mann is pro-Khalistan.

When The Tribune arrived in the hamlet, Amritpal’s mother Balwinder Kaur and father Tarsem Singh were not at home or at work; instead, they were out with Mann, helping him file his nomination paperwork in Sangrur. “The narrative of Khalistan is wrong and spread by rivals,” maintains Mann.

Sukhchain Singh smiles and dismisses the idea of Khalistan. It is an untrue story. Amritpal’s only goal was to rid society of narcotics. And he desired for the young people to get Sikh baptism. I work for the cops. I follow Indian law,” he continues.

One of the people on Amritpal’s campaign team is the villager and former serviceman Harmanjit Singh. “I am a soldier from India. He informs The Tribune, “We oppose secession. It is unavoidable, although superficial, to draw comparisons with Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, the former religious leader who held the state to ransom in the 1980s. Political commentators point out that a mostly agricultural economy that is, in many respects, at the end of its rope is once again searching for help. These analysts concede that Amritpal’s rhetoric on secessionism is appealing, but it is hollow.

The Tribune was informed by former Director-General of Police SS Virk that “the state government will have to watch his activities.” Virk was a leading figure in the 1980s counterterrorism effort. Bhindranwale was previously let to develop uncontrollably. The government cannot repeat the experience of burning its fingers once.

DGP Rajinder Singh, Intelligence, who also has extensive experience from those years in Punjab, continues, saying that it is important to keep an eye on the trend that is developing with Amritpal running for office. The state is experiencing a leadership crisis. The majority of people support the rule of law. I hope there is no abuse of the democratic process.

Back at Khadoor Sahib, the SAD-Amritsar faction’s halqa in charge is Sarbjit Singh, the sarpanch of Khanpur village, which is close to Baba Bakala. He was formerly connected to the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), but he has now joined Amritpal’s campaign alongside a local BJP politician who was the chairman of the party’s Backward Class section.

Sarbjit has a very clear goal in mind: “I want to combat drug abuse.” Due to their allegiance to smugglers, no political party is tackling this problem. Amritpal is the only one actively battling it.

The SAD candidate for Khadoor Sahib, Virsa Singh Valtoha, is the most outspoken on Amritpal. He obviously understands that the extreme right-wing Sikh contender is the one who will steal his vote. Amritpal’s fans are limited to social media. A mocking Valtoha informs this reporter that “many are supporting him from abroad or fake IDs.”

Amid the heat and dust of the election campaign, one of the state’s most pressing issues is the release of Bandi Sikhs, Sikh political prisoners who were imprisoned for their past involvement in terrorism but who have remained behind bars for years without the possibility of release. Another pressing issue is the state’s ongoing battle with drug addiction. Sukhchain highlights this reason.

The narrative eventually takes a turn. Amritpal is opposed by the family of Bandi Sikh Gurdeep Singh Khera. He didn’t ever come to our home. According to Gurjit Kaur, Khera’s wife, “if he genuinely wanted the release of Sikh prisoners, he should have started from our home.”

This contradiction is accentuated in the Khadoor Sahib Gurdwara. Like many other educational and religious institutions in the constituency, a large flex poster of Amritpal is displayed next to the entrance gates. This reporter saw an odd marker inside the gurdwara. It was painted in white and saffron and pointed to the National Defence Academy, which is located in Pune, 1857 kilometers away.

In addition to operating an IAS training center, the gurdwara also operates a military training facility. All castes and groups of Punjabis are innately brave. Nothing greater than serving in the Army and Police for your country. The milestone serves as a continual reminder of our students’ goal to them. In addition to the 600 men and women who joined the Punjab Police, more than 20 joined the NDA, according to Baba Sewa Singh.

The Hindu community is still cautious. Even though the pro-Khalistan terrorists who attacked the Hindu population in Punjab 40 years ago, the memories of those terrible times are still vivid. Amritpal is seen by “arhtiyas,” or agricultural middlemen, as a danger to the tranquility of Tarn Taran. The Tribune is informed categorically by Satish Kumar, Rakesh Kumar, and Visvanath that Amritpal’s politics are “unacceptable in a civilised state.”

They also said they won’t vote for him. The three guys add, “He doesn’t accept the Indian Constitution and he has no right to seek votes.” The rub is right here. A number of Chandigarh-based political analysts point out that even though Amritpal has declared his support for carving up a separate state inside India, he has taken an oath to uphold the Indian Constitution by running for office.

However, a former high-ranking police officer, who wished to remain anonymous, was less optimistic. “In the past, extremists have sometimes used national elections for their own ends. They make an effort to radicalize certain young people and maintain the independence cause. If they want votes, community leaders should advise them to give up their quest for Khalistan, he added.