NEW DELHI: It was the ubiquitous ‘Sikh moderates vs radicals’ tug-of-war on display as history-sheeter and highly-radicalised pro-Khalistan terrorist Narain Singh Chaura aimed his weapon at former Punjab deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal, scion of the ‘moderate’ Badal family.
According to an ex-IPS officer from Punjab, the sensational assassination attempt by a terrorist who has been involved in serious offences like murder, attempt to murder, possession of arms and explosives and militancy in the past, and was in constant touch with the leadership of Sikh terrorists outfits based in Pakistan, was the manifestation of the discontent and religious extremism simmering in Punjab for almost two decades.
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Particularly between 2007 and 2017, when the ‘moderate’ Badals were in office, the ‘radical fringe’ voices in the Sikh diaspora grew shriller, using social media as a vehicle to influence and indoctrinate new generation that has no living memory of how their families had suffered at the height of Sikh terror and who only seem to have seen the romanticised, pro-Khalistan propaganda fed to them online.
“The ‘radical extremism’ sentiment seems to have only gained momentum in the wake of the farmers’ protests/unrest, dominated by agriculturists from Punjab,” added another officer.
Pakistan not only sheltered the leadership of prominent pro-Khalistan outfits like Babbar Khalsa International and Khalistan Tiger Force for the past several years, but also continued to press on the pro-Khalistan pedal through projects like the Sikhs for Justice’s ‘Khalistan Referendum 2020’.
The Sikh diaspora, in which the extremists seem to hold sway, provided funding and resources to pro-Khalistan elements, even as Pakistan-backed actors whipped up communal tensions and ensured a steady supply of arms. That even laws like UAPA could not hold back terrorists like Chaura for long, enabling him to get relief from the courts and go back to extremist activities, made the threat of radicals crushing any moderate voices, even more real.
“Those born after 1993, when Sikh militancy had faded out due to a tough police crackdown and dominance of moderate voices, were in the past two decades fed on lies that 1.5 lakh people were killed in the militancy era, when the actual number of deaths was around 22,000, including 1,800 police personnel. Radical voices like Simranjit Singh Mann building a popular base by fighting polls and the emergence of radical leaders like Waaris Panjab De chief Amritpal Singh are proof that pro-Khalistan sentiments have been on the rise in Punjab,” said a former intelligence officer.
The solution, several officers told TOI, lay in promoting moderate voices to neutralise ‘radical fringe’, strengthening police’s hands to deal with extremists and tightening anti-terror laws.