UAPA on Amritpal, His Father Launches Political Party

The Panjab police has invoked the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) on Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh. This is the first time in India’s history that such a law has been used against a sitting MP. The UAPA charges are on top of the earlier stringent National Security Act under which Amritpal is in jail at Dibrugarh, Assam. The case is about Gurpreet Singh, a Sikh activist from Hari Nau village, Faridkot who was shot dead on 10 Oct 2024. Panjab police alleges the murder was ordered by Amritpal Singh and carried out by Canada-based gangster Arshdeep Singh. Arshdeep has maintained on a recorded message that Amritpal was not involved, and it was a personal matter (WD Vol 2, Issue 43, Story 5). Lawyer RS Bains, representing Amritpal, said about him, ‘the govt. is scared of his political potential.’ Meanwhile on 14 Jan, at the Maghi Mela (in memory of the forty Sikh martyrs), Amritpal’s father Tarsem Singh has launched a new regional, Panjab-based political party—Shiromani Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De; SAD WPD). Waris Panjab De was activist Sandeep Singh Sidhu’s outfit. Sidhu died in a mysterious road accident on 15 Feb 2022. In March 2022, Dubai-based Amrtipal took over the outfit. Amritpal arrived in Panjab in August 2022. Tarsem attended the rally along with Faridkot MP Sarabjit Singh Khalsa who is the elder son of Beant Singh, one of the assassins of former PM Indira Gandhi in 1984. The party declaration listed various issues that ail Panjab and said, ‘SAD WPD aims to create a transformative vision for Panjab, rooted in the principles of Sri Guru Granth Sahib (Sikh sacred scripture and living Guru). To achieve this, we seek your cooperation and support.’

On 9 Jan, Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) conducted a Mahapanchayat (big farmers’ gathering) at Moga, Panjab. SKM renewed calls for unity across Panjab and beyond to pressure the Union govt. to concede demands such as a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price on crops and waivers of farmer debts. SKM leaders, including Joginder Singh Ugrahan and Balbir Singh Rajewal, urged all farmer unions—especially those protesting at the Panjab-Haryana Khanauri and Shambhu interstate borders—to unify their ongoing struggles. The eight-point resolution of the Mahapanchayat highlights the importance of unity among the three platforms—SKM, SKM non-political (NP), and Kisan Mukti Morcha (KMM)—to counter the Union govt.’s policies, particularly the National Policy Framework on Agriculture Marketing. Termed more dangerous than the previously repealed farm laws, the policy has become a rallying point for farmers. A six-member SKM committee, along with a 101-member farmers’ jatha (group) visited Khanauri and Shambhu. Raminder Singh Patiala, a member of the SKM unity committee stated, ‘our demands are identical. While ideological differences will remain, priority is to save Jagjit Singh Dallewal by collectively taking up our demands with the Center.’ SKM NP leader Jagjeet Singh Dallewal’s hunger strike is now on day 51. A delegation of Sikh BJP leaders reached Akal Takht (Eternal Throne; AT) requesting Jathedar (leader) Giani Raghbir Singh to intervene in Dallewal’s hunger strike. Dallewal responded, ‘Go to Modi not Akal Takht.’ Meanwhile, on 9 Jan, at Shambhu, farmer Resham Singh from KMM died by suicide, who’s note stated he felt ‘unheard.’ Bhartiya Kisan Union (Sidhupur) protester Joga Singh who was protesting at Khanauri also died on 12 Jan at a govt. hospital in Patiala. SKM has announced a Tractor March on 26 Jan, India’s Republic Day (WD Vol 3, Issue 2, Story 1).

On 7 Jan, hundreds of protesters under the banner of the Qaumi Insaaf Morcha (Community Justice Front) clashed with police near Chandigarh while attempting to march toward Panjab CM Bhagwant Singh Mann’s residence. The protesters were demanding the release of Bandi Singhs (Sikh prisoners) who have completed their sentences, along with justice in past sacrilege and police-firing incidents (WD Vol 2, Issue 25, Story 6). Police tear gassed them, used water cannons and cane charged the crowd to disperse them, resulting in many injuries, including to three police officers. Tarsem Singh—father of jailed Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh—claimed he was placed under house arrest in Amritsar to prevent him from attending the protest. All major entry and exit points from SAS Nagar towards Chandigarh were sealed. Police from SAS Nagar and nearby districts were deployed and many roads leading to Chandigarh from SAS Nagar were barricaded completely, leaving commuters stranded. There were massive traffic jams on the inner roads of the city as commuters tried to find alternative routes for their work. Amid these developments, on 7 Jan, Sikh Siyasat (politics) News (SSN) experienced an abrupt removal of its long-standing YouTube channel. YouTube informed the SSN editorial team that someone had hacked the site and violated YouTube community standards. While earlier bans on SSN were country specific, this time it was worldwide. Parmjeet Singh Gazi, SSN’s chief editor said, ‘Upon learning of the channel’s removal, we immediately launched an investigation and determined that it had indeed been hacked. We then raised our concerns with YouTube.’ The channel was restored by YouTube on 9 Jan. However, the exact source of the hacking remains unidentified. Gazi mentioned an internal cybersecurity audit is underway to identify any vulnerabilities and address potential security lapses.

SAD has formally accepted the resignation of Sukhbir Singh Badal as party chief. This decision was taken over a month after Akal Takht (Eternal Throne; AT) Jathedar (Leader) Giani Raghbir Singh issued an edict 2 Dec directing SAD to accept Badal’s resignation. Badal had initially tendered his resignation on 16 Nov 2024. On 30 Aug 2024, Badal was declared tankhaiya (guilty of religious misconduct) by the AT, leading to his ongoing religious punishment. However, SAD is yet to implement the edict calling for a membership drive under the observation of a new working committee. SAD leaders argue taking guidance from AT to reconstitute the party would violate the Election Commission of India’s rule that political parties cannot be religiously oriented (WD Vol 3, Issue 2, Story 4). SAD has been quoting from the SR Bommai Case, 1994 to assert independence from AT to start its recruitment drive. Former SAD general secretary Manjit Singh Khaira has written to AT Jathedar contradicting SAD’s reservations. Concurrently, the Punjab and Haryana High Court (PHHC) has barred SAD from contesting the upcoming Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC) elections slated for 19 Jan, as per the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara (Management) Act, 2014, which prohibits registered political parties under the Representation of the People Act, 1951 from participating as a group. The court dismissed SAD’s plea, emphasizing that while individual politicians can run, the party cannot contest collectively. Additionally, the PHHC rejected petitions for caste and gender-based reservations in Sikh religious elections, stating such measures contradict Sikhi’s fundamental principles of equality and unity as espoused by Guru Nanak. The bench stated reservations based on caste and gender undermine the philosophy of a casteless society, highlighting practices like langar (community kitchen) as embodiments of Sikhi’s oneness.

India’s external intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), has allegedly carried out targeted killings deep within Pakistan since 2021, according to The Washington Post investigation that cites Pakistani and Western officials, plus police and family testimonies. One reported case involves the fatal shooting of gangster Amir Sarfaraz (alias Tamba) in Lahore, allegedly as revenge for his role in killing an Indian intelligence agent in 2011. Washington Post claims that Indian PM Narendra Modi’s govt.—portrayed as more aggressive than previous govt.s towards who it considers dissidents outside of its borders—refined these covert operations in Pakistan before applying similar methods to Sikh separatists in Canada and the US. Pakistani officials say RAW hired local criminals or Afghan operatives, arranged operations via intermediaries in Dubai, and channeled payments through worldwide hawala (informal money transfer) networks to maintain deniability. Adding to the tensions, frequent incidents of Global Positioning System (GPS) interference, including ‘spoofing’ with false signals, have been reported near India’s borders with Pakistan and Myanmar, placing them among the top five global regions for such navigation disruptions. The GPS jam portal corroborates these findings, indicating that more than 10% of aircraft transiting these areas experienced low navigation accuracy. The International Civil Aviation Organization, meeting from 26 Aug to 6 Sep 2024, expressed serious concerns about the escalation of such interference. Meanwhile, multiple Indian news outlets recently ran stories falsely claiming that four Indian nationals charged with the June 2023 murder of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar had been released. The British Columbia Prosecution Service confirmed no bail or release has been granted. The misinformation stemmed from confusion around court documents after prosecutors transferred the case to a higher court. The misinformation campaign reflects a broader pattern of disinformation within most Indian mainstream media circles.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court (PHHC) faces a backlog of 432,227 pending cases, including 48,386 regular second appeals—some dating back to 1986. Nearly 85% of these unresolved matters have been pending for over a year, highlighting a significant delay in dispensation of justice. The PHHC currently operates with only 51 judges against the sanctioned strength of 85, a 40% shortage compounded by the upcoming retirement of three more judges this year. According to data from the National Judicial Data Grid, 15% of the cases have been in court for less than a year, 18% for one to three years, 8% for three to five years, and 30% for five to ten years. Another 29% remain unresolved for over a decade, with some second appeals stuck in limbo for nearly four decades. Meanwhile, the Sikh Federation UK expressed disappointment with the Labour party for not initiating an inquiry into potential UK and Indian govt. links to the 1984 Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) massacre, known as Operation Bluestar, despite UK PM Keir Starmer’s 2022 promise. The Sikh Federation wrote five times to Foreign Secretary David Lammy without receiving replies, urging the Labour-led govt. to honor its commitment to an independent investigation. Labour’s Lucy Powell acknowledged the need for a thorough investigation and promised to facilitate discussions with relevant ministers. Concurrently, several UK-based Sikh and Hindu groups have criticized British politicians and authorities for referring to perpetrators of child sexual abuse gangs in England as the umbrella term ‘Asian’ to which they also belong. The groups want these grooming rings to be defined ethnically because they largely consist of men from Pakistan.

Wheat growers in Panjab, already delayed by tardy paddy procurement during harvest season, are on alert this Rabi (winter) season due to both recent pink stem borer damage and an impending threat of yellow rust fungus. Although the sown area dipped marginally to 3.47M hectares—slightly less than the 3.49M hectares in 2023—many farmers who lost crops to the pink stem borers ploughed back their fields and resowed. While this re-sowing is not expected to delay harvesting, as rising temperatures in the coming months will accelerate maturation, agriculture experts note that pest pressure earlier in the season was exacerbated by warmer-than-usual conditions in November 2024. As the food and supplies department is yet to finalize its wheat procurement target—usually set 5% above last year’s 12M metric tonnes—farmers remain focused on maintaining healthy crops through temperature fluctuations, pesticide challenges, and fungal risks, hoping to secure a robust harvest despite this year’s volatile conditions. At the same time, after the demand in 2023, the Panjab govt. has reintroduced kinnow as the weekly fruit in mid-day meals for its 19,120 govt. schools, effective 1 Jan (WD Vol 2, Issue 7, Story 7). However, farmers in key kinnow-growing areas are skeptical that they will benefit. In 2024, Punjab Agro directly purchased kinnow from farmers, but this time schools are mostly sourcing from local vendors. Many farmers point out that distributing kinnow only on Saturdays reduces overall consumption. Meanwhile, a recent series of Goods and Services Tax raids on several land developers in Panjab have exposed widespread violations of the Punjab Real Estate Regulatory Authority regulations. Investigations revealed that many builders have been selling plots and other properties through pre-launch offers, so-called ‘land pooling’ agreements without actual land.

From 6-8 Jan, nearly 2.7K of the 3K govt. buses operated by Punjab Roadways, Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC), and Punjab State Bus Stand Management Company Limited (PUNBUS) remained off the roads as their Contract Workers Union began a three-day strike to demand the regularisation of contract jobs. The union says about 90% of employees in PUNBUS and PRTC are on contractual terms and accused the govt. of ignoring their appeals. PRTC president Resham Singh Gill and state secretary Shamsher Singh Dhillon, highlighted that workers served uninterruptedly during the pandemic, floods, elections, and political rallies, yet have been denied core benefits such as ‘equal work, equal pay.’ They also alleged illegal salary deductions. Additionally, the implementation of the election promise on ‘free bus travel for women’ is now being questioned. According to the Department of Transport, Panjab, over 300K women use the service daily, with nearly 110M beneficiaries in 2023-24. However, it has caused significant strains on the state exchequer. Those who favor the scheme argue that with more women stepping out to work there is greater economic activity which would contribute to a rise in the economy in the medium and long term. Meanwhile, Chandigarh Transport Undertaking has come under scrutiny following a Comptroller and Auditor General audit that highlights multiple financial lapses during 2023-24, including vacant shops at the city’s two key bus terminals. According to the report, 11 shops in Sector 17 and eight in Sector 43 remained unoccupied, causing an estimated revenue loss of USD 148K. Amid this, India’s Enforcement Directorate has broadened its probe into the USD 233M transportation tender scam, initially tied to the previous INC govt. in Panjab, by now scrutinizing payments made during the first year of the AAP govt.

The Punjab Language Department has commenced a major digitization project covering approximately 118K rare and valuable books in its reference library, with around 68K texts in Gurmukhi (Panjabi script) and the remainder in Hindi, Urdu, Sanskrit, and English. Initiated on 9 Jan, the effort is carried out in partnership with the Panjab Digital Library (PDL) and overseen by Language Department Director Jaswant Singh Zafar. Zafar explained the dual objectives are to preserve the state’s literary heritage and establish the Panjabi language more firmly within the realm of artificial intelligence. PDL will be running the operation, which initially involves an eight-member team working across four units, scanning an estimated 30M pages to create extensive e-book archives. Among these are 542 ancient manuscripts that previously faced risk of deterioration, plus historical texts, contemporary Sikh writings, world classics, old maps, and other significant works—some dating back three centuries. At the same time, the Sikh Research Institute (SikhRI) has unveiled a comprehensive Guru Granth Sahib Online Dictionary offering extensive resources for those interested in the Sikh scripture. Launched on 5 Jan, the birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh, this initiative is part of SikhRI’s ongoing Guru Granth Sahib Project and aims to serve both lay readers and scholars. The dictionary is in both English and Panjabi, and includes detailed linguistic analyses, commentaries, translations, and research notes incorporating the historical, poetical, and musical dimensions of the Guru Granth Sahib. Meanwhile, renowned Sikh poet Daljit Nagra, chair of the UK’s Royal Society of Literature stepped down from the 205-year-old literary charity amid a controversy over alleged censorship and lowered standards. The turmoil at the society stems partly from discontent over accusations of censorship following the removal of an article critical of Israel from the annual Review magazine.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is currently hosting an exhibition called Phulkari: Embroidered Textiles of the Punjab. Phulkari, meaning ‘flower work’ in Panjabi, is a hereditary embroidery practice from the Panjab region in present-day India and Pakistan, historically created by women for both everyday and ceremonial garments. Believed by some scholars to have origins tied to Central Asia’s Jat (farmer) community or Persian gulkari embroidery, phulkari is referenced in the Guru Granth Sahib and in the eighteenth-century epic Hir Ranjha. Traditionally, women were taught from a young age to embroider small garments such as odhinis (scarves), eventually creating the larger chaddars (sheets) that served as family heirlooms. Phulkari is typically done on coarse, handwoven khaddar (cotton fabric) using running stitches of bright silk threads, often yellow, orange or pink, though darker colours appear less frequently. The motifs—commonly flowers such as lotuses, marigolds, and Tree of Life, but also geometric forms and animals—are arranged in neat, counted-thread designs that sometimes deliberately break patterns to reveal the cloth beneath (nazarbuti), believed to ward off misfortune. Larger, more elaborate forms of phulkari include chope (borders), embroidered by a bride’s grandmother for her wedding; sainchi phulkari from the Bathinda and Faridkot districts; and bagh, an all-over design obscuring the base fabric. Before British colonialism, phulkari pieces were prized heirlooms made in regions like Sialkot and Jhelum, later gaining popularity with British officers during the nineteenth century. Following Independence and Partition in 1947, phulkari faced a decline due to mechanization and social upheaval. However, from the 1980s onwards, govt. and NGO-driven revival efforts, skill training, and formation of self-help groups have repositioned phulkari as a vibrant commercial craft in Panjab’s Gurdaspur and Patiala, adorning modern garments such as dupattas, saris, and kurtas.