EXTREME WINNERS

In Punjab and J&K, embers from a turbulent past burn bright again at the hustings

- Anilesh S. Mahajan

AMRITPAL SINGH SANDHU, 31 | INDEPENDENT | Khadoor Sahib, Punjab

He popped up seemingly out of nowhere, a face with no history, attired like Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, invoking the slain terrorist, and talking his talk. That was all the historical resonance Punjab needed, or at least those disillusioned with the void in the formal panthic space. Open advocacy of Khalistan, calling his Indian passport a mere “travel document”, a headline-grabbing raid on a police station in Ajnala with the Guru Granth Sahib as shield, a dramatic 20-day chase, a surrender at