Truckers Strike Ends

After a series of regional strikes, a big truckers’ strike started on 2 Jan, leading to major panic buying in northern and western India. Long queues formed in front of petrol pumps and grocery stores, especially in Panjab and Mumbai. The protest was against Section 106(2) of Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita (BNS), which is set to replace the colonial-era Indian Penal Code. The new rules have provisions for even stricter penalties in hit-and-run cases. Earlier, the penalty was two years imprisonment; it has now increased to ten years plus a penalty up to $8500. Given the panic in society, and the upcoming Ram Mandir inauguration, to prevent any disruption to the larger public, the Ministry of Home Affairs immediately met with the All-India Motor Transport Congress. The government assured the unions that it would consult stakeholders before implementing the contentious law against hit-and-runs. By evening, the countrywide truckers' strike was called off. Though this was a flash strike, it was akin to Farmers Protest 2020-21 in that the government agreed to consider the new rules. Both these strikes — one for a day, another for over a year — indicate that power is in the hands of the workers. If they could unite, they could force the government to take back any draconian law it tries to enact. However, just as  after the Farmers’ Protest ended, the government failed to uphold its promises, the truckers too need to be vigilant that new laws are not notified without their consent. Meanwhile, eighteen farmer bodies from across North India along with Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) organized a big rally in Amritsar on 3 Jan demanding implementation of the Swaminathan Commission Report. They have announced a march towards Delhi on 13 Feb.

In a major relief to the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and the Adani Group, the Supreme Court on 3 Jan refused to form a Special Investigation Team (SIT) or direct the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe US short-seller Hindenburg Research's charges against the Adani Group. SEBI is the capital markets regulator in India and is already carrying out a probe into the Adani Group. On 24 Jan 2023, Hindenburg posed 88 questions on the holding patterns of the Adani Group, implying that insider trading led to an erosion of about $150B in market capitalization before stock prices recovered steadily through the year. The Supreme Court stated that it cannot enter into the domain of the regulatory board, and the reports in the media — by Hindenburg or any other — cannot become the basis of ordering a separate probe. The SEBI will continue its probe as per the law, the apex court said, ordering SEBI to finish its investigation within three months. The bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala, and Justice Manoj Misra delivered the judgment. The judgment has implications on the Adani Group which is widely known to be close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and therefore protected by the current regime. This was especially evident when the regime implemented the draconian Farm Laws, and sold airports, seaports, coal, and other mines to the Adani Group. The Supreme Court’s refusal bolsters the regime’s stance in never having answered questions by the Opposition on the links between Gautam Adani and PM Modi. The judgment also has negative implications on investor confidence in the stock market and the transparency of its systems.

Panjab government has bought the private GVK Power-owned Goindwal Sahib Thermal Power Plant for $130M. Panjab CM Bhagwant Mann said this was the cheapest buy in the country and added that for the first time, the government had cleared all dues to Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), despite the government paying a huge subsidy of $2,166M per year. The PSPCL office said they would save $36M per annum after the acquisition of the power plant. CM Mann said the 540-MW thermal plant will be named after Guru Amardas. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approved this purchase by the Panjab government. Until the deal was done, there were 17 litigation cases between GVK and the PSPCL. All these cases will end by virtue of the acquisition. When GVK Power filed for corporate insolvency, they claimed the plant price at $945M. The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) approved the price at $795M. Out of the initial 11 bidders, the creditors approved just one — the Panjab government. The creditors have lost $660M in this deal. Due to lack of coal supplies, the plant has been running at just 34% of its capacity. That should improve if the plant is linked to the Panjab government-owned Pachhwara coal mines in Jharkhand. The environmental concern is the location of the plant next to the Harike wetlands known for migratory birds and river dolphins. The waste water from the plant will pollute the confluence of the rivers Satluj and Beas.

On 4 Jan, the Punjab and Haryana High Court allowed regular bail to Panjab INC Member of Legislative Assembly, Sukhpal Singh Khaira. On 28 Sep 2023, Khaira was arrested from his bungalow in Chandigarh for a 2015 drugs case. This case was on the basis of a complaint by Kashmir Singh from village Dograwal (SDW Vol. 1 Issue 3, Story 5). As Khaira was being released on 4 Jan, the Kapurthala police booked him in a case of threatening and criminal intimidation. This new case was based on a complaint by Ranjit Kaur, wife of Kashmir Singh. While piling cases on Khaira, AAP supremo and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal is himself evading repeated summons by the Enforcement Directorate in connection to the excise police case under which his deputy chief minister, Manish Sisodia, is already in jail. The Enforcement Directorate had earlier summoned Kejriwal on 2 Nov and 21 Dec 2023 and now summoned him on 3 Jan. This time Kejriwal did not receive the summon and instead went for a ten-day meditation retreat to Hoshiarpur and AAP is engaged in propagating that if Kejriwal appears he will be arrested. This week, Panjab CM Mann followed suit and proceeded on a four-day meditation course at Visakhapatnam. Meanwhile, on 22 Dec, a local court in Sangrur sentenced Panjab Cabinet Minister Aman Arora to two years rigorous imprisonment in a family dispute case. While Arora says he will approach a higher court, he continues to be a minister. AAP needs to realize when elected representatives, guardians of law, themselves evade summons by statutory bodies, what is the message they are sending to ordinary citizens.

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) officially announced on 4 Jan that Qatar has commuted the death sentence for eight Indian Navy veterans and turned it into ‘varying quantum’ of jail terms. The veterans were arrested by Qatar in Aug 2022 (SDW Vol. 1 Issue 7, Story 8). Addressing the weekly press briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the legal team had been given 60 days to appeal against the jail terms. The Indian embassy has now gotten consular access to the men in custody. Also on 4 Jan, the Supreme Court rejected a plea for consular access moved by a family member of Indian national Nikhil Gupta, who is in a Czech prison following charges by the US relating to a foiled assassination attempt on Gurpatwant Singh Pannun (SDW Vol. 1 Issue 13, Story 2). The bench of Justices, Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta, told advocate CA Sundaram their court should respect the jurisdiction and sovereignty of the foreign court and law of that land and, therefore, it could not go into the merit of the matter. Meanwhile, on 1 Jan, in a gazetted notification, the Indian government declared gangster Satinderjit Singh, alias Goldy Brar, a terrorist under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). The notification said Brar is associated with the banned 'Khalistani' organization Babbar Khalsa International. Brar came on the radar of Indian investigative agencies after he took responsibility for the murder of Panjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala in May 2022. Brar is originally from Muktsar and is the son of a former Panjab police personnel.

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has expressed its extreme disappointment that the US Department of State has yet again failed to designate Nigeria and India as Countries of Particular Concern (CPC). 'The Indian government’s alleged involvement in the killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada and the plot to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in the United States are deeply troubling, and represent a severe escalation of India’s efforts to silence religious minorities and human rights defenders both within its country and abroad,' said USCIRF Commissioner Stephen Schneck. 'Within its own borders, Indian authorities have repeatedly used draconian legislation like the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and anti-conversion laws to systematically crack down on religious minorities, journalists, and activists,' said USCIRF Commissioner David Curry. USCIRF has now called for a congressional hearing to designate India as a CPC. ‘USCIRF calls on Congress to convene a public hearing on the failure of the State Department to follow our recommendations,’ said USCIRF Chair Abraham Cooper and Vice Chair Frederick A. Davie. Meanwhile, Sikh outfits Dal Khalsa (SDW Vol. 1 Issue 13, Story 4) and Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) held a joint press conference on 6 Jan. They announced a joint protest on 26 Jan, Republic Day at Moga. The protest will be against the tactical approval from political leadership indulging in transnational repression, misusing provisions of draconian laws, proscribing organizations and individuals as terrorists, and keeping Sikh political detainees incarcerated beyond their jail term. Referring to the extrajudicial killing of Akal Takht Jathedar Gurdev Singh Kaunke, the leaders said the protest will question the impunity and unbridled powers given to the security establishment to kill anyone, anytime, at any place.

Due to differences over the Nanakshahi Calendar, the birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh was celebrated in Afghanistan and Pakistan on 5 Jan and will be celebrated in other countries, including India, on 17 Jan. The minuscule Sikh community residing in Kabul, Afghanistan, celebrated Guru Gobind Singh’s 358^th Prakash Purab (birth anniversary) in a subdued manner in the only operational Gurdwara in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. In neighboring Pakistan, the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) outlined an elaborate celebration to mark the Prakash Purab across various Gurdwaras. Celebrations were held at Gurdwara Sri Panja Sahib in Hasan Abdal with Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Attock President Sardar Ashar Hayat Khan as the chief guest. In the same Himalayan range, in Jammu, the Sikhs organized a spectacular Nagar Kirtan (religious procession). The event saw a significant turnout of Sikh community members, including children from various schools and Ragi Jathas from both Jammu and Kashmir, transforming the City of Temples into a vibrant display of religious fervor. Similarly, in Rajouri, the Sikh community took out an impressive Nagar Kirtan in Sunderbani area. Youth from Baba Deep Singh Gatka Akhara Poonch displayed the Gatka (martial art) at the Old Bus Stand. Meanwhile, Sikhs from Pakistan have urged Sikhs worldwide to sink their differences over the Nanakshahi calendar and formalize one calendar for the community. SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami has said, ‘The issue of Nanakshahi calendar falls under the jurisdiction of Akal Takht. We will proceed to address it upon receiving appropriate instructions from the Takht.'

The police have granted Kulwant Singh Rauke a six-day parole from Assam’s Dibrugarh jail. The parole is for Rauke to attend his uncle Bhagwant Singh’s death ceremonies. Rauke is an associate of Sikh preacher Amritpal Singh, chief of Waris Punjab De. The parole is ‘in-custody’ which means during the parole period Rauke would remain in police custody. A police party would accompany him during all family rituals. Rauke reached his village Rauke in Moga district on 1 Jan to attend Bhagwant Singh’s cremation. Amritpal Singh and his nine associates have been booked under the National Security Act over charges related to violence at Ajnala Police Station in Feb 2023. This is the first gesture of consideration by the state towards these prisoners (SDW Vol. 1 Issue 10, Story 7). Meanwhile, in pursuance with the cordon and search operations (CASO) since the above mentioned arrests, on 2 Jan, the Panjab police conducted a special operation code named OPS Eagle-III in all 28 police districts in the state. Police teams frisked people arriving and departing at 134 bus stands and 181 railway stations. At least 917 suspicious persons were rounded up for questioning. The police have arrested 24 alleged criminals after registering 21 first information reports (FIRs). On 9 Jan, the police again conducted CASO operations related to drug trafficking. 600 police teams cordoned off 268 drug hotspots and 5,505 suspicious persons were frisked. The police have registered 202 FIRs and arrested 48 persons including 21 proclaimed offenders. Unlike any other Indian state, through these repeated interferences by police in everyday life, Panjab is certainly turning into a police state.

The Minister of State of External Affairs (MEA) V. Muraleedharan disclosed to the Rajya Sabha that at 91, Canada tops the countries with maximum student deaths abroad since 2018. The numbers of deaths in the United Kingdom are 48, in Russia are 40, in the United States are 36 and in Australia are 35. The total deaths are 403. These deaths are attributed to a number of reasons including natural causes, accidents, and medical conditions. According to data made available by the MEA to the Rajya Sabha in February 2023, the numbers of Indian students studying abroad between 2018 and 2002 - a large number of them from Panjab - are as follows: highest in the United States with 621,336 deaths; second highest in Canada with 567,607 deaths; and third highest in the United Kingdom with 317,119 deaths. In 2023, in Canada, 136,000 students were from Panjab. In a written communication, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) — the government department responsible for immigration matters — responded, ‘IRCC is very concerned about the vulnerability of international students. While education is a provincial/territorial responsibility, IRCC recognises that we need to work collaboratively with provinces and territories, as well as learning institutions, to develop ways to address concerns related to student vulnerability.’ IRCC said, in 2024, the Canadian government will be adopting a ‘recognised institutions’ framework to identify and benefit designated learning institutions (DLIs) that set a ‘higher standard’ by ‘providing exceptional support and outcomes’ for international students. It remains to be seen how this fares when implemented (SDW Vol. 1 Issue 9, Story 10).

Dr. Sandeep Singh has a PhD and four master's degrees. He is now a hawker, selling vegetables to make ends meet. Dr. Singh earlier taught at Patiala's Punjabi University for over a decade – first as a Junior Research Fellow and later as guest faculty – but quit due to financial constraints. ‘In June this year, I quit teaching as it became difficult for me and my family to survive on that salary,’ said Dr. Singh. ‘We follow Guru Nanak Dev's teachings and won't beg before anyone. I will keep doing my work.’ Dr Singh now runs a vegetable cart with a board saying: PhD Sabzi Wala. Dr. Singh explains in his interview, as guest faculty, he could earn a decent sum per class and it adds up in a month. But the payments take a long time to get sanctioned. Then there are lean months when the University is either in exam mode or closed. In those months he earned nothing. Punjabi University's Dean (Academics) Ashok Kumar Tiwari and Law Department Head of Department Monica Chawla confirmed that Sandeep was working as a guest faculty at the university and was hired for the 2023-24 session. The approval for Dr. Singh to continue as guest faculty for the next semester from January to May has been sent and Dr. Singh’s consent is awaited. Therein lies the irony. Panjab has failed to hire permanent teaching staff in its colleges and universities for over 20 years (SDW Vol. 1 Issue 7, Story 2). While selling vegetables, Dr. Singh is now pursuing a B.Lib. (Bachelor of Library and Information Sciences) and plans to open an institute to teach poor students.