India's Manhunt for a Hardline Sikh

Leader Leads to Internet Shutdowns and

Global Protests

A security guard adjusts barricades at the Indian Consulate as

broken windows and a graffitti reading "FreeAmritpal" are seen
behind, in San Francisco, Calif. on March 20. Indian authorities
extended a mobile internet blackout across a state of about 30
million people on Monday as police hunted a radical Sikh preacher.
The blackout extension came after supporters of Amritpal Singh
were filmed vandalising India's consulate in San Francisco.
Noah
Berger—AFP/Getty Images

BY ASTHA RAJVANSHI
MARCH 23, 2023 3:45 PM EDT

F or six consecutive days,

authorities in India have
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been on a nationwide hunt for

GetAmritpal Singh, a hardline Sikh

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leader from the northwestern state
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of Punjab who rose to prominence
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movement, which callsOnly
for the
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creation of an independent Sikh
homeland.

30-year-old Singh has been on the

run since March 18. To find him,
authorities have deployed
thousands of paramilitary police
and restricted Internet and mobile
messaging services across the state
—forcing nearly 30 million people
to go offline.

Singh leads a group called Waris

Punjab De, which means “the heirs
of Punjab,” and made national
headlines in February when
hundreds of his supporters stormed
a local police station with guns and
swords to demand the release of a
jailed aide.

So far, the police have arrested

more than a hundred people linked
to the incident, including Singh’s
uncle and driver. On Sunday, an
official told the local press that the
police preemptively arrested
individuals who were “attempting
to disturb law and order in
Punjab.”

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Here’s what to know about the
events unfolding:
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Who is Amritpal Singh?
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Singh is a self-styled preacher who
rose to prominence after the year-
long farmers’ protests in 2020
against new agricultural laws
proposed by Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi (the government
repealed the laws in November
2021). Before this, he was a
relatively unknown truck driver
who ran a car rental business in
Dubai.

During the protests, Singh joined

Waris Punjab De, founded by actor
and activist Deep Sidhu to mobilize
farmers. After Sidhu was killed in a
car crash in February 2022, Singh
took over the group and continued
to campaign for Sikh rights by
giving impassioned speeches
against rising Hindu nationalism
sentiments under the Modi
administration and social issues
like rampant drug addiction in
Punjab. His speeches resonated
with many Sikhs and have led to
his rising popularity.

Singh has also likened himself to

Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, a Sikh
separatist figure who led the
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Khalistan movement and was killed
by the Indian army in 1984 who, on
GettheUnlimited Digital
orders of former Prime Minister
Access.
Indira Gandhi, stormed the Golden
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Templeand get access
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shrine ofjournalism. Onlythe Sikh
Sikhism. Among
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community who felt targeted by
the government, the operation was
met with anger and led to further
communal tensions. Gandhi was
assassinated by her Sikh
bodyguards in the aftermath.

Last month, he generated

controversy for making threatening
comments against the Indian Home
Minister, Amit Shah, by suggesting
the minister could meet the same
fate as Gandhi for speaking against
the Khalistan movement.

Why was the Internet

banned?

The state government of Punjab,

which is led by the opposition Aam
Admi Party, initially announced a
24-hour ban on mobile internet
and SMS services on Saturday
while armed forces launched an
operation against Singh. But since
then, authorities have extended
the ban to prevent the spread of
fake news, rumors, and
misinformation on social media
that they say could spark further
violence.
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GetMany of Singh’s supporters have

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posted on social media. One video
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live steamed on Facebook and
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chased Only wheat
the police through
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fields in Punjab. Singh’s father,
Sardar Tersem Singh, also posted
on Twitter, asking all Punjabis “to
raise their voice against the
injustice against him and stand
with him.” His post quickly went
viral.

Amid the crackdown, the Indian

government also requested Twitter
to withhold 122 Twitter accounts
in connection to the incident,
according to Twitter’s disclosure to
the Lumen Database. However,
many of these accounts are not
connected to Waris Punjab De, with
the list including Canadian
politicians Jagmeet Singh and
Gurratan Singh, the poet Rupi
Kaur, civil society organizations
United Sikhs and Khalra Mission,
and U.S.-based author Pieter
Friedrich.

Although the statewide ban was

one of the broadest shutdowns in
recent years, it is not the first time
that the Indian government has
restricted access to the internet.
Since 2018, India has ranked first
in the world for the highest
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number of internet shutdowns. A
recent report by Access Now, a New
GetYork-based
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non-profit that works
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on digital rights and online
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incidents Only
in 2022. Many digital
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rights activists have called the
deployment of this tactic
ineffective and an infringement of
free speech and digital rights.

How is the world

reacting?

As the hunt for Singh was

underway, protests broke out in
Canada, the U.S. the U.K., with
Indian consulates in the cities of
London and San Francisco
vandalized by Singh’s supporters.
In London, the Indian flag was torn
down and replaced with the
Khalistan emblem.

In response, India summoned the

senior-most UK diplomat in New
Delhi on Sunday “to convey strong
protest at the actions taken by
separatist and extremist elements,”
according to a statement by India’s
foreign ministry. It also asked for
“an explanation for the complete
absence of the British security that
allowed these elements to enter”
the premises in London.

Alex Ellis, the British High

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Commissioner to India, posted on

GetTwitter: “I condemn the

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disgraceful acts today against the
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people and premises of the [High
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What is the Khalistan
movement?

The Khalistan movement believes

in an independent, Sikh-majority
state within Punjab. The religion of
Sikhism was founded in the 15th
Century by Guru Nanak. Today, it is
the majority religion in Punjab but
comprises less than 2% of India’s
1.3 billion people.

The movement’s origin can be

traced to India’s independence
from British rule in 1947 when
Punjab was sliced into two parts
between the newly founded nations
of India and Pakistan. During this
time, a bloody Partition displaced
many people and left nearly 1
million dead. Since then, the
Khalistan movement has gained
popularity and led to violent
clashes between the Indian
government and the Khalistani
rebellion erupting over the years.

A report by Human Rights Watch

describes how Sikh militants were
responsible for serious human
rights abuses, including the
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massacre of civilians, attacks on

GetHindu minorities in the state,

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indiscriminate bomb attacks in
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crowded places, and the
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political Only
leaders. At the same time,
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the report states that the Indian
government also ordered
counterinsurgency operations that
led to the arbitrary detention,
torture, extrajudicial execution,
and enforced disappearance of
thousands of Sikhs.

India has banned the Khalistan

movement and considers it a
national security threat, with a
number of groups associated with
the movement listed as “terrorist
organizations” under the Unlawful
Activities (Prevention) Act. Despite
the ban, the movement has
attracted sympathy and support
from some members of the Sikh
diaspora who migrated to Western
countries for better economic
opportunities.

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