Amritpal Singh Sandhu, a self-proclaimed Sikh priest, was arrested by authorities in the Indian state of Punjab on Sunday. That reports the police of the Indian state. Singh had been on the run since last month and the subject of an intense manhunt. In the eyes of the Indian authorities, as a fervent advocate for an autonomous state for the Sikhs, a minority religion in India, he is a threat to public order. According to local media, Singh turned himself in to the police. In the 1980s, an uprising by Sikh separatists led to the deaths of tens of thousands of Indian civilians.
The 30-year-old political leader has been making a public name since August last year by preaching the radical form of Sikhism in addition to advocating the establishment of the autonomous state of Khalistan. His raising of social issues and his advocacy for protection of Sikh religious rights against what he has described as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalism have struck a chord with many Sikhs in Punjab. In a short time he built up a large following and quickly gained popularity. Of the 30 million inhabitants of the state of Punjab, 58 percent identify as Sikh.
The separatist nature of the political activist is of particular concern to the Indian state. Singh set up his own militia, led large protest marches and delivered fiery, often provocative speeches, often flanked by heavily armed bodyguards. Last February, he and supporters stormed a police station in Ajnala town, where a member of his organization was being held for assault and attempted robbery.
Since March, the search for Singh has led to more than 100 arrests. Strong intervention and display of force by security forces previously led to concerns about the human rights situation in the northwestern state. Shortly after the arrest, police called on citizens to “keep peace and harmony” and not to spread fake news. “I have never been afraid of being arrested and I am not today. My morale is good. No one can hurt me. It is God’s will,” Singh said in a video message early this month.
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