Former Indian PM Manmohan Singh Dies, Leaves Behind a Mixed Legacy

Manmohan Singh, former PM of India, passed away on 26 Dec, at the age of 92. Born in Gah in Pakistan (West) Panjab, a turbaned Sikh, Singh completed his Economics Tripos at the University of Cambridge and D Phil from the University of Oxford. He was a professor at Indian (East) Panjab University, chief economic adviser and secretary in the Indian Ministry of Finance, Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, Deputy Chairman of the Indian Planning Commission and Chairman of the University Grants Commission. In 1991, when India faced a Balance of Payments crisis, he was appointed the Finance Minister (FM) of India. As FM his greatest contribution was in liberalizing the Indian economy from the earlier ‘licence-permit-regime’ which was deeply corrupt and nepotistic. Driven by foreign funding into industrial development, open markets, he unleashed a new Indian middle class. In 2004, when INC chief Sonia Gandhi refused the PM position, she pushed Singh’s name as the PM. He was at the helm for two terms which saw major reforms through Bills on Rights to Education, Information, Food Security, Aadhar (Universal Identification), compulsory 100 days a year of work and wages to the poor, and the Indo-US nuclear deal. However, he fell shy of reforms in agriculture—the Swaminathan Report kept languishing after completion in 2007. His second tenure as PM of the INC-led United Progressive Alliance govt. was marred with allegations of corruption by his ministers, though his own conduct was impeccably honest. As a Sikh, his drawback remained that though he apologized to Sikhs for the 1984 genocide on behalf of INC, but it was only symbolic as nothing changed. Justice demands acknowledgments, trials, convictions, reconciliations, and reparations. His own cabinet inducted two ‘criminals’ as Union Ministers (Jagdish Tytler and Kamal Nath) and one on the Parliamentary Committee (Sajjan Kumar).

On 30 Dec, the call for a bandh (shutdown) by farmers under the banner of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) and the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) Non Political (NP) brought Panjab to a halt (SDW Vol. 2 Issue 52, Story 4). The call was made over several demands, including legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price, debt waiver, a pension scheme for farm labourers, withdrawal of police cases, and justice for victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence and others. Two constituents of SKM–Krantikari Kisan Union (KKU) and BKU Dakaunda (Dhaner)–also supported the bandh. The Panjab Pradesh Beopar Mandal (state business unions) opposed the bandh. All major roads in Panjab were closed, 172 train services were cancelled while 232 train services were affected. A large number of shops and industrial units were also closed. Meanwhile, SKM NP leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal has entered day 37 of his hunger strike at the Panjab-Haryana interstate border at Khanauri. The border has turned into a garrison site with thousands of volunteers camping to prevent the police from seizing and removing Dallewal. On 27 Dec, the Supreme Court of India (SCI) directed the Panjab govt. to file a compliance report on its 20 Dec order asking Dallewal to be shifted to a hospital. The SCI asked, 'What kind of leaders are allowing Dallewal to die at the spot?’ This is a valid question but the SCI must put it to the Union govt. as well. Dallewal has repeatedly stated he is on hunger strike out of his free will. On 31 Dec, Panjab govt. informed SCI, ‘Dallewal will accept medical aid if the Union govt. accepts his proposal to hold talks.’ KMM and SKM NP have called a Mahapanchayat (big gathering) at Khanauri on 4 Jan.

On 20 Dec, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president, Harjinder Singh Dhami, underwent tankhah (religious punishment) imposed by the Panj Pyare (Five Loved Ones) after an audio clip of him using ‘foul’ language against his predecessor, Bibi Jagir Kaur, started circulating on social media. Dhami met the Akal Takht (Eternal Throne; AT) Jathedar (leader) at Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) complex in Amritsar and then presented himself before the Panj Pyare, who directed him to perform an hour of voluntary service in the shoe storage area, another hour cleaning utensils in the langar (community free kitchen) area, and to recite five Japji Sahibs (morning prayers). Although Dhami had previously issued a written apology and later appeared before the Punjab State Commission for Women to apologize, the commission declined to accept it. Kaur demanded legal action, asserting that Dhami should not escape accountability. Questions remain about any additional legal measures sought by Kaur and the Women’s Commission. Meanwhile, on the SAD delay in accepting the AT instructions to accept resignations of all members, advocate Harvinder Singh Phoolka wrote to the AT Jathedar, Giani Raghbir Singh, arguing that it is contradictory for a political party—SAD—to control a supreme Sikh institution like the AT while simultaneously dismissing its ‘suggestions’ as unconstitutional. Citing the Supreme Court of India’s rulings, he noted that the Election Commission lacks authority to cancel a registered party’s status merely for restructuring or leadership changes, thus nullifying the concern that the SAD’s registration might be rescinded. (SDW Vol. 2 Issue 52, Story 1). In another incident, Sikh activist Bakshish Singh, narrowly escaped an attack near Patiala South Bypass road around 1 am on 29 Dec after assailants fired at his car. The incident occurred as Singh, who had raised issues including the plight of Bandi Singhs (Sikh prisoners), was returning from Gurdwara Karhali Sahib. Singh noted he had earlier returned his police protection but received it again after suspects linked to the murder of Sikh activist Gurpreet Singh were arrested (SDW Vol 2, Issue 43, Story 5).

The three-day annual Shahidi Jor Mela (Martyr's Gathering) began with religious fervor at Fategarh Sahib, Panjab. Nearly 3 million devotees paid obeisance at the Gurdwaras. The gathering is held to commemorate the martyrdom of Baba Zorawar Singh and Baba Fateh Singh, the younger Sahibzade (Sovereign’s sons) of Guru Gobind Singh. In 1704, Wazir Khan, the Nawab of Sirhind, imprisoned the Sahibzade and their grandmother Mata Gujri in the Thanda Burj (cold minaret). The years between 1645 to 1710 were the Maunder Minimum when sunspots were rare and reduced solar light had brought down the average terrestrial temperature. The river Thames in England had frozen, Vikings had to return from Greenland, and Norwegian farmers sought compensation from the King of Denmark for loss of crop due to advancing glaciers. Yet, the Sahibzade did not renounce their faith and instead chose martyrdom. In 2022, in an effort to appropriate history, the BJP has termed the event Veer Bal Diwas (Brave Kids Day). The party does not grasp that Sikhs do not consider the Sahibzadas as ‘kids’, instead revere them as Babas (wise ones) (SDW Vol. 2 Issue 1, Story 2). However, organizers of multiple blood camps at the gathering came under fire from the health department for organizing blood donation camps without permission, and the camps were forced to close. Also, the iconic murals of Sahibzade at Baba Atal Gurdwara, Amritsar are facing erosion. The murals trace back to the early 19th century and have long served as a seminal reference for artists portraying Sikh martyrs. One notable mural showing all four Sahibzade journeying on horseback adorned the outer wall of Baba Atal Gurdwara has significantly faded, surviving only through photographs preserved by artist Satpal Danish.

On 24 Dec, Panjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav claimed British Army soldier Jagjeet Singh, alias Fateh Singh ‘Baagi’, was the Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) operative behind the bomb blasts on police stations and posts in Panjab (SDW Vol. 2 Issue 52, Story 2). On 25 Dec, Rhian Shillabeer from the UK Ministry of Defence, Whitehall, London, said, 'There is no one with either the name or pseudonym provided currently serving in the British Army. We have had no approach from Indian authorities about anyone in the Army being involved in the incident you reference in any way.' However, Jagjeet Singh’s father Joginder Singh, a retired Subedar from the Indian Army, confirmed that his son is employed in the British Army and had served in Afghanistan. He questioned the state police’s claims saying they make 'no sense'. Panjab police has now added Ranjeet Singh Neeta to the list of accused. Neeta hails from Simbal Camp, Jammu and founded KZF in 1993. According to police, KZF is responsible for the killing of Sant Ramanand of Dera Sachkand Ballan in Vienna, Austria in May 2009 and Rashtriya Sikh Sangat chief Rulda Singh in July 2009. The Uttar Pradesh (UP) police also claim that a Haryana youth, Siddhu (no first name), based in England, had called two Pilibhit youths, Sunny and Manoj (no other names) on 20 Dec, to arrange a hotel room for the three alleged 'militants', who were gunned down in an encounter. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee has demanded a judicial probe into the encounter killings. It must be noted that in 2022, the Allahabad High Court had convicted 43 policemen for extrajudicial killings of 10 Sikhs in Pilibhit, UP in 1991.

On 21 Dec, a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court convicted three Panjab police personnel—then Tarn Taran Station House Officer Gurbachan Singh, Assistant Sub Inspector Hans Raj, and Sub Inspector Resham Singh—for the murder and criminal conspiracy leading to the deaths of Jagdeep Singh (alias Makhan) and Gurnam Singh (alias Pali) in 1992. According to the charge sheet, Jagdeep and Gurnam were abducted by police on separate occasions in November 1992 and killed on 30 Nov 1992 in a staged encounter described in police records as an ‘armed exchange involving militants’. The police later cremated the two men as unidentified, unclaimed bodies, which the CBI deemed to be a cover-up in its case registered on 27 Feb 1997. Complainant Pritam Singh, father of Jagdeep, recorded his statement in November 1996, prompting the CBI investigation. After conviction, the court took the three accused into custody and they were awarded life terms. During the lengthy trial, which involved 46 prosecution witnesses, 18 died before proceedings concluded. One of the accused, Arjun Singh, died in December 2021. In another case, Gautam Cheema, a 1995-batch Indian Police Service officer of the Panjab cadre, along with five others, has been sentenced to eight months imprisonment by a Special CBI Court in Mohali. The case pertains to the wrongful detention of Sumedh Gulati, who was forcibly taken from the lawful custody of Police Station Phase-I, Mohali, in 2014. Meanwhile, on 19 Dec, through a written communication, supposedly for security reasons, the Registrar of the Punjab and Haryana High Court has requested the media to refrain from naming judges in their reports on court proceedings, orders, and judgments.

Panjab has made a major push toward sustainable development by amending its intra-state open access regulations, aiming to replace fossil fuels with affordable solar power and spurring a green energy revolution. Under the 10^th Amendment to the state’s 2011 regulations, published on 5 Jun 2023 by the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission, the govt. has adopted an inclusive approach that eases bureaucratic barriers and embraces consumer-centric measures. As a result, solar energy production in Panjab surged from 1,493 million units (MUs) in 2021-22 to 2,729 MUs in 2022-23, with expectations of reaching 3,629 MUs by 2024-25. Concurrently, the price of solar energy is projected to drop to INR 4.24 per unit by 2024-25 from INR 6.59 in 2021-22, reducing the state’s reliance on fossil fuels. Meanwhile, two recent studies have revealed that Indian households, generally overshadowed by transport and power sectors, are significant contributors to urban air pollution, particularly Particulate Matter 2.5 (PM2.5). The first study, conducted by Pune’s Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology and Roorkee’s Indian Institute of Technology, examined 53 cities during 2015-16 and identified residential activities as the main source of PM2.5 in 29 urban centers, including Srinagar, Kanpur, and Allahabad, while transportation emerged as the biggest contributor in nine cities, notably Delhi, where vehicles accounted for 55% of PM2.5. The second study, from Berhampur University and Bangalore's Indian Institute of Science, produced a high-resolution emission inventory for 2020. Both studies highlight a multi-sectoral pollution landscape across India: in northern cities like Amritsar, Ludhiana, and Ghaziabad, transport is responsible for up to half of PM2.5 emissions, whereas domestic activities cause 68% of PM2.5 in Srinagar and similar high levels in Kanpur and Varanasi.

Despite Panjab having enough tomato acreage to produce the paste needed for its ketchup factories, most of these plants, including Hindustan Unilever Limited’s Kissan brand in Patiala, continue to procure large quantities from states like Maharashtra. According to CM Bhagwant Singh Mann, these factories need 10K metric tonnes (MT) of tomato paste annually, but only 500 MT is currently sourced from Panjab. Experts say the real barrier is not tomato varieties or acreage but the narrow 35-40-day harvest window when Panjab’s tomatoes reach ideal processability—high total soluble solids and dark red color—plus insufficient local processing capacity. While farmers grow processable varieties such as Punjab Ratta (Red), they lack enough modern facilities to convert their tomatoes into fine paste. Public-sector plants run by Punjab Agro in Abohar and Hoshiarpur cannot handle the 10K MT demand and need technical upgrades. Farmers have also complained of poor management and delayed payments at these state-run plants, driving them to sell elsewhere at marginally better rates. Meanwhile, farmers in Panjab’s Ferozepur district have found success and higher earnings by shifting to unconventional crops, including lotus, strawberries, taro, chillies, and dragon fruit, thereby reducing their reliance on wheat, rice, and cotton, and subsequent stubble-burning practices. Avtar Singh of Kunde village cultivates lotus on 10 acres of waterlogged land, making around USD 2.4K per acre from stems and an additional USD 409 from seeds, inspiring others to convert roughly 250 acres to lotus farming. In Patiala, tech entrepreneur-turned-farmer Mantaj Singh Sidhu left his lucrative Google job in Dublin, Ireland to launch Gill Organics. Sidhu leases small patches of farmland—charging subscribers USD 350-410 for six months—and cultivates vegetables through natural farming.

The US has long maintained a per-country cap on green cards, limiting each nation to no more than 7% of annual allotments, a system that has especially affected Indian professionals, who face wait times that can exceed a decade. By removing this cap, the US would enable applicants to be processed based on merit rather than country of origin, significantly accelerating Green Card approvals for Indians who comprise a sizable pool of skilled workers in fields such as technology, healthcare, and engineering. The backlog, which has forced many on temporary visas (like the H-1B) into extended uncertainty, could diminish, benefiting not just the individuals seeking permanent residency but also their families who often confront separation and logistical hurdles. Indian-American venture capitalist Sriram Krishnan and tech figures like David Sacks and Elon Musk have stressed that broader pathways to residency would boost the US labor market by attracting top international talent, particularly at a time when industries like artificial intelligence and software engineering demand specialized expertise. Meanwhile, Canadian colleges and certain Indian individuals and entities have come under India’s Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) scrutiny for allegedly facilitating human trafficking of Indian nationals, including a significant number of Panjabis, into the US via Canada. The racket was exposed following the 2022 death of a four-member family from Gujarat, who succumbed to extreme cold while attempting to cross the US-Canada border illegally. In a statement, the ED revealed it has conducted searches at eight locations linked to suspect Bhavesh Ashokbhai Patel, who is accused of conspiring to smuggle people into the US on the pretext of securing them admissions in Canadian colleges. Amid this, Canada is ending ‘flagpoling’ for permit renewals, requiring students and workers to use Visitor Record applications, which involve online processing and maintaining implied legal status.

Panjab police have arrested Ram Saroop, alias Sodhi, from Garhshankar, district Hoshiarpur for allegedly murdering 11 men over the past 18 months across Roopnagar, Fatehgarh Sahib, and Hoshiarpur. Police say he primarily targeted men he engaged with sexually, or people who gave him rides while Sodhi was hitchhiking. He killed his victims if or when they insulted him or refused to pay for his services. Often disguised as a woman, Sodhi lured victims and then either strangled them using a cloth or bludgeoned them with bricks, leaving some bodies with the word dhokebaaz (cheater) written on their backs. Investigators learnt that since childhood, Sodhi had been hurt by repeated slurs about his sexuality; he secretly wore makeup and felt deeply rejected by family members, who allegedly abandoned him two years ago. Sodhi is married, with three children, but was unemployed. Sodhi insisted he avenged perceived threats and insults through violent outbursts. One of his victims, 37-year-old Maninder Singh from Kiratpur Sahib, was found dead on 18 Aug near a petrol pump on Manali Road; Sodhi’s muffler, left behind at the crime scene, helped police trace him. Another victim, 34-year-old tractor mechanic Mukadar Singh from Ghanauli, was discovered with grievous injuries on 5 Apr near Panjehra Road. Sodhi also confessed to killing a former soldier. Police, who remanded Sodhi for further questioning, say at least five of the murders have been confirmed, with the rest still under investigation. Medical examinations are planned to determine whether Sodhi is HIV-positive, a negative assumption many hold about people from the LGBTQ community. The case shows how personal trauma and social stigma can drive violent behavior.