While Amritpal Singh is still on the run, a thorough inquiry must be conducted on how the operation was handled.

THE DAY Amritpal Singh and his band of followers took the unprecedented step of using Guru Granth Sahib as a shield to storm the Ajnala Police Station, it was evident that the Punjab Police would be forced to act against the paratrooper who had been openly challenging the authorities.

Yet, it took nearly a month before it finally launched an operation to nab Amritpal Singh. That was much more than sufficient time to plan a swift and efficient operation with little chance of any collateral damage.

As is well known by now, Punjab Police managed to botch up the operation and left red faces all around. In the process it has made a hero of a non-hero among his small bunch of diehard supporters.

But the mess up by the police started much earlier. Red flags should have gone up after he propped himself at the head of the organisation founded by Deep Sidhu despite the opposition by his family members.

Amritpal’s aggressive discourses and challenges to the government and the police through numerous video interviews had been making the rounds of digital media since long.

His band of supporters had been brandishing weapons and threatening people. They had also been going to gurdwaras to throw out chairs meant for the old and infirm on the grounds that Sikh tenets required all to sit down on the floor in gurdwaras.

While the police, as well as the central government and the state government, turned a blind eye to the developments, the growing prosperity and aggression of the group was evident with the backing of the financiers and planners abroad.

Unfortunately the AAP Government in Punjab and the BJP led Government at the centre had been squabbling over minor issues – such as names of a delegation of principals to Singapore – while plans were afoot to push Punjab back into an era of turmoil and violence.

Neither the central intelligence agencies nor the state police paid enough attention to the emergence of the hot headed band of fanatics.

The first major blunder by the police was during the Ajnala incident. It failed to gather intelligence that Amritpal would bring in Guru Granth Sahib to the police station and use it as a shield. It should have taken alternative measures to avoid the situation.

Amritpal’s action did not go well with the Punjabis in general and Sikh community is particular. This was perhaps the first time ever that Guru Granth Sahib was used as a protective shield by anyone in the history.

Another aspect of the Ajnala incident reflected very poorly on the police. It cut a sorry figure while admitting that Amritpal’s aide, Lovepreet Singh Toofan, whose release was being demanded during the attack, was innocent!

Also Read: Is Punjab Vigilance Bureau Acting Without Legal Mandate?

A senior police officer gave an on record statement that they have now learnt that Lovepreet was not even present at the site of the crime and that he was innocent and would be released forthwith. Then why was he arrested in the first place? This capitulation was interpreted as a victory by Amritpal’s supporters.

And then came the shameful and inept execution of the operation to nab him. It should have been planned meticulously and with zero chances of his escaping the dragnet. The least they could have done was seal the smaller exits on the road where the operation was planned.

Instead of that a huge police force was deployed on the road which evidently alerted his followers and they tipped him off to take a side road.

Also Read: Amritpal must explain to Sikh Community: For what purpose, he brought Guru Granth Sahib to Police Station?

While he is still on the run, a thorough inquiry must be conducted on how the operation was handled. There are too many questions that need to be answered. How did Amritpal manage to find another car waiting for him and how did he conveniently find a motorcycle to escape? The inquiry report must pin responsibility.

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