Separatist Sparks in Punjab Must Be Promptly Doused

People from a forgotten era are making political comebacks in Punjab

- Shashi Shekhar

Some incidents resurrect the ghosts of the past. The assassination attempt on Sukhbir Singh Badal is one such. The attempt on Badal's life took place at the same spot where in April 1983 A.S. Atwal, the then deputy director general of Punjab police, was murdered. Atwal's body had lain unattended for hours on the steps of the Harmandir Saheb. Those days extremism was at its peak. But what does the attack on Badal indicate? Is terrorism rearing its ugly head in Punjab again?

Absolutely not. Still, the attack on Badal and the rise of secessionist voices indicate efforts to revive those days. Amritpal's sudden arrival from Dubai to lead a separatist campaign in the garb of religious concerns was the beginning of the conspiracy. He knew there were still many who bore a grudge for the anti-Sikh riots that followed the assassination of Indira Gandhi. These people may have aged, but their bitterness hasn't. Badal's assailant Narayan Singh Chaura is one such person. Chaura became a votary of separatism after Operation Bluestar.

The most distressing trend in Punjab is that people from a forgotten era are making successful political comebacks. The victories of Simranjit Singh Mann and Amritpal at the last Lok Sabha elections is an alarm call. How did this happen?