Punjab Faces An Internet Blackout As Authorities Hunt Down Sikh Preacher
A teacher conducts a lesson in the light of kerosene lamps and a candle in a house in Kolkata. Photograph: Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters, The Guardian
Over 30 million people in the North Indian state of Punjab have been affected by an internet shutdown, as imposed due to a search for Amritpal Singh Sandhu, a Sikh preacher who has been fighting to create a separate Sikh state. Internet access has been blocked for a fourth day straight, making this one of the country’s most extensive blackouts in years. Police have accused Sandhu of disrupting cultural harmony. This drastic internet blackout was imposed as a means of halting the spread of fake news, yet has also paralyzed many economic functions of shops, businesses, colleges, and digital payments in the state.
Security provisions were heightened in Punjab after supporters of Singh were caught on film vandalizing India’s consulates in San Francisco and London. Such acts of cultural and political impairment have prompted the police to arrest over 100 of Sandhu’s followers. Although police were close to arresting Sandu in Bathinda, they found themselves unsuccessful as Sandhu escaped while his car intercepted the police intervention.
The preachings of Sandu were unknown to authorities until recently, who now believe that he has been constructing a “militia” behind the scenes in order to strengthen his fight for independence. The radical preachings of Sandu were initially broadcasted on Feb. 23 as he rescued his partner in crime, Lovepreet Singh Toofan from police custody. The rescue operation was violent as Sandu stormed the police station in Ajnala with his gang of followers, all who were brandishing swords and guns. Police capitulated to his demands, explaining that they were unable to target Sandhu as a result of him using a Sikh holy book as a shield during his attack. .
In order to ensure that Sandu is unable to flee the country, the home minister of Punjab, Amit Shah, has put border police on high alert. Such drastic measures are fitting given that Punjab was convulsed by violence and carnage from the mid-1980s under a decade-long reign of terror, generated by armed separatists groups who attempted to create a Sikh state called Khalistan.
Passengers rest inside a train while waiting for the electricity to be restored at a railway station in Kolkata. Photograph: Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters, The Guardian
The separatist movement's preachings fall to deaf ears for the most part, as support among Sikhs was lost to the cause given the disgust they felt towards the indiscriminate violence perpetrated in the cause’s name. Since approximately 1993, the state has been relatively peaceful, yet the violence which once infiltrated the streets has left a permanent scar on Punjabi society. Many fear that a revival is coming, a feeling that has been exacerbated by the fact that Punjab borders Pakistan, a region that India shares a ferocious history with.
As the government repeatedly attempts to justify blocking internet access on the grounds of preserving public safety amid mob violence, critics argue that the shutdowns simply degrade the country’s commitment of access to information and freedom of speech. Not to mention that such disruptions have impacted the lives of millions, as the internet serves as the population's social and economic lifeline. Void of the internet, the country loses its connection between growing cities and isolated rural pockets
The Sikh World Organization of Canada (WSO) condemned the “draconian” operation to arrest Singh. Analysts fear that his detention could be used to set up a false encounter and facilitate his extrajudicial murder. The police declared Singh “a fugitive” and launched a state-wide search for him.