The radical rise of Amritpal Singh Sandhu

Is this a brave deed or a foolish one? When Amritpal Singh Sandhu used the Guru Granth Sahib as a shield while marching into the Ajnala police station to secure the release of his aide Lovepreet Singh "Toofan," it was universally regarded as an act of extreme impropriety for someone who preaches Sikhi and screams Sikh genocide whenever there is an attack on something that the Sikhs hold sacred. Since attacking him would be like tampering with the Sikh holy book, the police watched helplessly. As a result, Amritpal was able to get away with what the majority of Sikhs would consider to be the ultimate sin.

Prior to two years ago, no one really knew who Amritpal was. Brought into the world in 1993 in Jallupur Khera town in Amritsar region, the one who has become something of an extremist 'peculiarity' lately had a peaceful, unpretentious beginning — going to Sacred Heart State funded School and later getting a mechanical science certificate from the Ruler Krishna Polytechnic School in Kapurthala. After that, he worked as an operations manager in Dubai for his family's cargo transport business. Amritpal stated to India Today that he was a typical student; His understanding of religion was based on watching sermons on YouTube and other similar sites by scholars. Amritpal experienced a shift during the farmers' agitation in Punjab in 2020 and 21. He went to India, participated in the demonstrations, and became a follower of actor-activist Deep Sidhu, who was the founder of the pressure group Waris Punjab De. Amritpal, who is active on Clubhouse, Twitter, and Instagram, started gaining followers by advocating for his views on the agitation and other topics. Despite this, the well-groomed, short-haired young man returned to Dubai, appearing satisfied with the Center's decision to repeal the farm laws. Then, in February 2022, Sidhu was killed in a car accident.

Amritpal was a very different person when he returned to India in August 2022 to take over Waris as its chief. The youth who spoke English fluently and wore jeans is no more. At least in appearance, he was replaced by a traditional Sikh religious leader. Additionally, he transformed Waris into a pro-Khalistani outfit. By the end of September, he had performed dastar bandi, or turban-tying, in Rode, a village in Moga that was the ancestral home of the militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who was murdered there. He took part in amrit, which is a ceremony of baptism. Amritpal wore a long bana shirt and an electric blue dumala turban to the ceremony in the style of his avowed idol.

Soon after, in November 2022, Amritpal went on a Khalsa Vaheer, or march, across Punjab to spread Sikhism. He also ran amrit sanchar programs, and many of the participants formally joined the Khalsa order. In his lessons, Amritpal declared to continue in Bhindranwale's way. He talked openly about Khalistan and told his supporters to be ready for "sacrifice" and carry arms for the "Sikh cause." Youth dissatisfied with diminishing economic opportunities and left feeling unanchored by the turbulence in the state's panthic politics grew exponentially in his role as a role model. Amritpal slipped effortlessly into this void and transformed each complaint into a claim of racial targeting. As a result, he claimed that drugs were smuggled into Punjab as part of a plot to "eliminate" Sikhs and harm Punjabi culture. He equated the demand for Khalistan with that for a "Hindu rashtra." Resonant atavism was present as well for good measure: appeal to a pure life, "fight for freedom," and release from "slavery"

However, Amritpal is not Bhindranwale, despite the similar-sounding rhetoric. After enrolling in a seminary at a young age and becoming the 14th jathedar of the Damdami Taksal in 1977, a religious school that he made famous, the latter was well-versed in Sikh scriptural and theological knowledge. He preached the path of social reform, denouncing practices like dowry, and urged youth to return to the Khalsa's path by avoiding consumerism and alcohol. He pushed something else for the execution of the Anandpur Sahib Goal of 1973, which requested more noteworthy independence for Punjab. In order for Bhindranwale to become a household name among Sikh militants, it would take him more than six years and numerous confrontations with the state and federal governments. Although Amritpal uses social media to spread his beliefs, he is currently just a startup and does not have any pan-Punjab influence. The Punjabi people are also no longer interested in separatism. Amritpal does have the ability to stir up trouble. According to the findings of the police investigation into the assassination of Hindutva radical leader Sudhir Suri, Sandeep Singh was influenced by Amritpal.

Amritpal is viewed with suspicion by other radical Sikh organizations. He is sometimes referred to as an "agenciyan da banda," or security agency spy. He can certainly cause trouble, either way.