Khalistan: Recapitulating Gory Past

The ideology of Khalistan i.e. land of the Khalsa is based on the thesis of a separate homeland for Sikhs by establishing a sovereign state for them. When the leaders of the Indian National Congress started freedom struggle with the demand of Purna Swaraj (self-rule or total independence) from 1930 onwards and Muslim League gave a communal call for a separate Muslim state based on the Two Nation Theory* after the Lahore Resolution in 1940 mainly keeping an eye over the Punjab and northwest provinces, the Shiromani Akali Dal (a Sikh political party formed in 1920) too came out with a narrative that the Sikhs were a distinct community from the Hindus and Muslims that needed consideration and recognition as such by the British regime. Following the partition and after the large scale communal riots in 1947, the majority of Sikhs migrated from the parts of Punjab and other provinces gone to Pakistan and settled in the Indian side of Punjab, Delhi and other parts of the country. Following Independence, the Akali Dal also had a Punjabi Suba Movement for some time remaining ambivalent between a Sovereign to autonomous state.

In the following decades, the movement for the Khalistan saw many highs and lows, at times with the spells of high intensity militancy. Past events are not the main theme but two personalities deserve a brief mention, who actually spearheaded the separatist movement making news worldwide. The one was Jagjit Singh Chohan, the founder of the Khalistan Movement seeking to create an independent Sikh state in the Punjab region of the Indian sub-continent. He was the one who established a Council of Khalistan at the Anandpur Sahib in April 1980 declaring himself as its first self-styled president eying the territories of Punjab, Himachal, Haryana and parts of Rajasthan. He had garnered some support from the Sikh diaspora within India and abroad as well as Pakistani political establishment.  He later shifted to the United Kingdom and continued operating from there with support from the Khalistani sympathizers in the countries like Canada, UK and Italy. His unlawful activities and collection of millions of dollars from the diaspora abroad eventually led to the framing of the sedition and other criminal charges in India against him for his unlawful activities.

The other person was Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale responsible for the greater turmoil and violence in Punjab leading to the Operation Blue Star in 1984. Following the defeat in 1972 Punjab assembly elections, the Akali Dal had moved the controversial Anandpur Sahib Resolution in 1973 demanding more autonomy for Punjab. The resolution had both the religious and political connotations seeking for the Sikhism a separate and sovereign identity of a religion and major devolution of political power from the Central to State government. This resolution was largely interpreted by the Central Government as a secessionist movement which received a considerable leverage after the emergence of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale in limelight in early 1980s. Under his leadership, the Damdami Taksal, Babbar Khalsa and All India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) joined hands demanding a sovereign Sikh State, seeds of which were already sown in the Anandpur Sahib Resolution. Ultimately, Bhindranwale became the face of a dangerous revivalist, extremist and terrorist movement in Punjab in 1980s causing a reign of terror and violence specifically targeting Hindus in the state. The Akali Dal remained soft on him with overt and covert support to his activities, and even tacitly allowed him along with his militant cadre to occupy and fortify the Sikh Shrine Akal Takht in the later part of 1983 to escape arrest. 

In fact, it is alleged by experts and knowledgeable sources on Punjab that Bhindrawale was initially endorsed and encouraged by the Congress Party itself at the behest of former Congress Chief Minister Zail Singh (who later became President of India), ultimately becoming a serious threat for the security and integrity of the nation. Punjab generally remained disturbed since early 1980s and the Akali Dal joined hands with Bhindranwale in August 1982 to launch the “Dharam Yudh Morcha”. In due course, the movement was totally hijacked by Bhindranwale who announced that the Dharam Yudh will continue until all the demands in the Anandpur Sahib Resolution were met. By December 1983, Bhindranwale and his militant followers made the Golden Temple complex as their headquarters carrying out their extremist activities from its premises. Ultimately, the Central Congress government led by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had to order army action to flush out militants and terrorists hiding in the temple complex. The operation code named “Operation Blue Star” lasting for over a week (1-8 June 1984) was planned and coordinated by the Army Chief General AS Vaidya and the actual assault on the militants was commanded by Maj Gen KS Brar who was an Infantry divisional commander at Meerut at the time.

According to the official sources, there were 493 militant and civilian casualties including Bhindrawale, and 1592 people were apprehended from the Temple Complex during the action, while the Indian Army too had suffered heavy causalities with 83 dead and 236 injured. However, the unofficial death toll cited by the other sources varied and was considerably high. Preceding the army operation, the widespread violence, murder and arson had become a daily recurring feature in Punjab. For illustration, more than 1,200 violent incidents were reported between 4 August 1982 to 3 June 1984 alone with hundreds of individual killings and group massacres. Some of the significant deaths in terrorist activities included Lala Jagat Narain, his son Ramesh Chander of the Punjab Kesari publications, DIG AS Atwal, and Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh. Major pro-Khalistan terrorist / militant groups included Babbar Khalasa, Bhindranwala Tiger Force of Khalistan, Khalistan Commando Force, Khalistan Liberation Army, Khalistan Liberation Force, All India Sikh Students Federation, Dashmesh Regiment, Khalistan Zindabad Forc, International Sikh Youth Federation, and so on. In this context, other remarkable name is that of DG police KPS Gill (1988-95 with a brief break in 1990-91), who made significant contribution to eradicate insurgency in Punjab.

Recent Spurt of Separatist Activities Abroad

A handful of Khalistani protesters indulged in the sabotage and an attempt to set Indian consulate building on fire in San Francisco on the Sunday, the 19 March 2023 in wee hours. According to the consulate’s CCTV footage, two bearded men wearing cap poured some inflammable material at the entrance of the mission and tried to put the building on flame but fire did not escalate possibly owing to the building material or the quality of flammable liquid. The matter was immediately reported by the consulate officials to the city police and other concerned authorities at various levels in San Francisco and Washington DC. Quite obviously due to lackadaisical approach of security agencies towards providing adequate security, pro-Khalistan protestors again assembled later during the day only to attack the building, break the makeshift barricades forcing entry inside the premises to indulge in sabotage hammering the doors and windows, breaking the glass panes and hoisting a Khalistan flag on the consulate building.

On following day (Monday), more Khalistani protestors including those earlier indulged in the vandalism and defacing of the Indian property assembled and pitched a tent in front of the consulate building. Earlier on the Saturday evening too, they had made an attempt to deface the walls putting graffiti which were removed by the consulate staff. Among those present in the protest were those who were part of the vandalism and defacing of Indian property. These protesters even harassed and obstructed people coming to the consulate for the passport or visa services and, in remaining mute spectators, the police did not take any action against them. A similar protest was also organized at the Indian embassy in Washington DC but it remained largely harmless owing to the alert Diplomatic Security and local police. Later on India lodged a strong protest with the US Charge d'Affaires in Delhi over the incident of vandalism at the Indian consulate, following which security was beefed up by the US authorities. Incidence of protest by the Khalistan supporters was, however, reported again on 22 March with pro-Khalistan slogans and anti-India speeches using mikes in the vicinity of the consulate building.

On the same Sunday, 19 March 2023, a small group of pro-Khalistan protesters staged demonstration at the Indian High Commission in London and some of them broke in even to take down the Indian flag at the building. In this case, a number of riotous and rowdy elements, mostly British Sikhs, had assembled before the High Commission building, waved Khalistan flags, replaced the Indian flag, and raised anti-India slogans in protest of the action taken against the pro-Khalistanis in India. Ironically, the London police simply watched without making any concrete move to stop the protesters. Incidentally, this was not first such incident in London because the High Commission has experienced similar attacks in the past too. For instance, Khalistanis had joined pro-Pakistanis to vandalize the “India House” in August 2019 also to protest the abrogation of Article 370 by the Modi Government withdrawing special status of the state of Jammu & Kashmir. Then the violent protests were also organized by the pro-Khalistan supporters at the High Commission building during 2020-21 making common cause with a group of Indian farmers’ agitation against the reforms in the agricultural laws enacted by the Modi Government. Similarly,  Khalistani flags and slain militant Bhindranwale's huge portrait is now on display at London's largest Gurudwara at Southall but authorities and police have not taken any action so far.

Anguished with the inaction and partisan attitude of the London police and authorities, the Ministry of External Affairs in India took strong exception invoking the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic relations 1961 that provides the framework for the establishment, including the maintenance and termination of diplomatic relations between independent sovereign States. Consequently, the senior most UK diplomat in New Delhi was summoned by the MEA and a strong protest lodged followed by some visible retaliatory action of downgrading security of the British High Commission and the British High Commissioner’s residence in Delhi. The MEA statement read, “India finds unacceptable the indifference of the UK Government to the security of Indian diplomatic premises and personnel in the UK. It is expected that the UK Government would take immediate steps to identify, arrest and prosecute each one of those involved in today’s incident, and put in place stringent measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.” A bigger Indian National Flag than the one removed by Khalistanis was unfurled on the Indian High Commission's building in London; however, the pro-Khalistanis assembled again on 22 March with usual slogans, some even throwing ink, powdered colours, water bottles, etc. at the High Commission building while about a dozen embassy staff displayed Indian tricolor on the terrace forming a human chain in consolidation.

Somewhat similar scene was created by a handful protesters inter alia including unfurling of a Khalistani flag at the Indian consulate in Brisbane, Australia around the same time. This incident was only in sequel of several unfortunate incidents of radical activities against the Indian community in the country including attacks on some Hindu temples. Ironically, although the Queensland police conceded that this gathering was unauthorized yet they allowed them to enter the consulate premises blocking anyone trying to enter for any official purpose. Consequently, the Indian consulate had to be temporarily shut down owing to its safety concerns under the threat from these extremist elements. The Australian prime minister, however, later made statement that his country will not tolerate extremist activities or attacks on religious buildings while simultaneously asking the Queensland government and police to deal with the extremist elements with full force.

Canada is yet another country that has increasingly remained in news for anti-India activities mainly on account of the pro-Khalistan agenda run by some influential Sikh politicians associated with the ruling party. Justin Trudeau is prime minister of Canada since 2015 and leader of the Liberal Party which is short of majority in the parliament and his government is surviving with the support of the New Democratic Party headed by Jagmeet Singh Dhaliwal alias Jimmy Dhaliwal, who is a proclaimed supporter of the separatist Sikhs seeking establishment of the Khalistan. Dhaliwal is well known for his support for the Khalistan movement and has so often openly voiced his support for the Khalistanis in Canada. The previous Congress government in India had even denied him a visa to visit Delhi in 2013 accusing him for the misuse of the human rights cause to pursue his “insidious agenda of disturbing the social fabric of India and undermining the peace, harmony and territorial integrity of India”. There is yet another separatist Mo Dhaliwal of the Poetic Justice Foundation, whose name had prominently appeared in the context of the Toolkit to destabilize India, funding and manipulating some celebrities in favour of the Farmers’ agitation in India against new farm laws during 2021.

Perhaps owing to his political compulsions or his genuine response to this separatist movement, Prime Minister Trudeau himself has invited controversies at occasions. The then Punjab Chief Minister Amrinder Singh had refused to see him in 2017 calling him a Khalistan sympathizer. Although later Trudeau assured that his country would not support the revival of separatist movement but his controversial remarks on the farmers’ agitation in 2021 once again invited widespread criticism in India. A veteran Canadian journalist Terry Milewski had earlier published a detailed report on "Khalistan: A project of Pakistan" concluding that it is actually a geopolitical project nurtured by Pakistan manipulating a handful of Sikhs, which is a threat for the national security of both the Canadians and Indians. Consequently, the ilk of Dhaliwal and some others have constantly pursued this agenda making Canada as the hotspot for the Khalistani separatist movement which can be easily vindicated through numerous recent and past incidents. Whatever be their compulsions but the tacit support of Canadian establishment is visible from the very fact that only recently the mayor of Brampton city too had allowed an anti-India ‘Khalistan Referendum’.

Just to illustrate a few occurences, a handful of Khalistan supporters had gathered outside the Indian consulate building in Vancouver on 20 February 2023 and raised anti-India slogans carrying Khalistan flags. Few days back on 14 February, the Sri Ram Temple was vandalized and defaced in Missisauga of the Toronto Greater Area (TGA) besides spray-painting its walls with the pro-Khalistan graffiti. The Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) took responsibility for the aforesaid attack. During the preceding month too, the Gauri Shankar temple in Brampton, TGA was defaced in the similar manner by the Khalistani separatists. A sustained and systematic campaign is already run by the vested interests such as the SFJ in Canada maligning the image of the Indian intelligence agencies and government leaders/officials on the allegations of interference in the government and citizen’s life. Intelligence reports also suggest the existence of the Indo-Canadian crime syndicates as vindicated by the instances of arrests with huge drug haul at occasions, dominated by NRIs from Punjab, who are involved in funding the separatist groups, including Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), in a bid to rekindle the Khalistan movement in India.

Khalistanis Abroad Have Domestic Connection

Traditionally, India has had a complex socio-religious and geo-political ecology for long: If on one hand, we have people with varying degrees of national and patriotic sentiments then, on the other hand, there are a large number of people with so-called (pseudo) liberal and secular credentials, who are practically willing to go to any extent so long a narrative or approach suits their personal interests without caring its implication on the nation and/or community. Many people of the latter category are even averse to the idea of nationalism and some even eschew the national symbols, anthem and song. Last year, when the top Congress leadership opted for a non-descript leadership in Punjab ignoring more popular and established state leaders, it paved way for the Aam Admi Party in the assembly elections. Then considering the dubious ways of the party, some knowledgeable sources and experts on Punjab had expressed fear of rekindling of the Khalistan movement in the state. It indeed happened so on many occasions during the past several months when a handful Khalistan supporters and sympathizers took out processions at various places with anti-India slogans publicly flashing guns and other lethal weapons but the state administration authorities and Punjab police did not take any viable measures or actions to stop them. 

It is true that an overwhelming majority of the Sikhs in India and abroad do not support Khalistan movement or any form of extremism but a handful of extremist Sikhs mainly in UK, Canada and some other countries are fomenting trouble with their separatist agenda exploiting few indoctrinated and even criminal elements home. That the Khalistani separatists and their sympathizers in Punjab have deep nexus with foreign saboteurs was evidently clear during the Farmers’ agitation in 2021, sponsored mainly from the states of Punjab and Haryana. On many occasions, the posters of Bhindranwale and Khalistani flags had been raised or displayed their venues and vehicles/tractors with protesters raising anti-India slogans in support of Khalistan and Pakistan flashing swords and guns. In fact, the Khalistani and Kashmiri separatists, urban naxals and ultra-leftists were seen making a common cause at occasions which ultimately culminated into a large scale violence, arson and damage to public property in the national capital Delhi on the Republic Day. The very nature of the so-called farmers’ gathering at blockade points, lavish spending and international publicity with the involvement of some influential Sikhs from Canada illustrated it all. In fact, the trail of money paid and links to the celebrities like the US singer Rihanna, environment activist Greta Thunburg, etc., through a public relations firm to speak in support of the agitation was later traced to the Poetic Justice Foundation (PJF), a Canada-based pro-Khalistan outfit founded by MO Dhaliwal and Anita Lal.

The name of an Indian Khalistan separatist Amritpal Singh Sandhu has emerged like a comet in the recent months. He is a young self-styled Sikh radical leader of the recently formed organization Waris Panjab De (Heirs of Punjab). Actually, the Delhi crime branch police had identified two specific offenders namely Deep Sidhu and Dharmendra Singh Harman during the rampage in the Red Fort area on the Republic Day 2021 for the instigation of large scale violence, desecration of the National Flag and raising of a religious flag on central dome of the Red Fort. Sandeep Singh Sidhu aka Deep Sidhu had started his career as an actor in Punjabi films around 2016, reportedly got radicalized reading works of Ajmer Singh (a proclaimed naxalite) and founded the so-called socio-political organization “Waris Punjab De” in September 2021, which has increasingly turned into a pro-Khalistan outfit by now. Sidhu died in a car accident in February 2022 and before his death, he had started supporting the pro-Khalistan leader Simranjit Singh Mann and his Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) and Amritpal is now carrying out the same agenda.

A lot many things about the personality traits and moral character of Amritpal Singh has been revealed by media in the recent past which is not very soliciting to establish his credentials as a genuine Sikh leader. What is nearly accurately known about him is that he did not complete his formal education and was employed in the transport business in some capacity in Dubai, when he started following Deep Sidhu. After Sidhu’s death, Amritpal Singh assumed leadership of a faction of his Waris Punjab De and radical activities to reignite the Khalistan movement in Punjab. In his inauguration speech, Amritpal allegedly said that the Sikhs had been slaves for 150 years, first to the British and later to the Hindus, and the only way to be totally free was to have Sikh rule in a sovereign state. Apart from many seditious speeches in the recent past, he created ruckus attacking the Ajnala police station in Punjab along with accomplices flashing guns and swords during February 2023. On the occasion, rowdy and riotous group led by Amritpal had his way in injuring many police personnel and damaging vehicles during the ensued violence, the Punjab police later on defended their inaction with a statement that they did not retaliate because the group came as a Jatha carrying the holy Guru Granth Sahib.

Amritpal had recently formed a private militia called Anandpur Khalsa Fauj, who carries lethal weapons including firearms and wore bullet-proof vests, and reportedly, he was also indulged in raising 'human bomb squads' consisting of brainwashed youth to be used as suicide bombers. He is suspected to have close links with the Pakistan’s ISI and some terror groups. Following a crackdown by the Punjab police on his outfit, Amritpal is currently on the run as a wanted criminal and fugitive. Amritpal considers Khalistani militant/terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale killed during the Operation Blue Star in 1984 as his idol and hero, dresses himself in somewhat similar turban and traditional robes and used to move with a group of heavily armed men. At one occasion, he had even threatened the Union Home Minister Amit Shah that the latter will meet same nemesis as ex-PM Indira Gandhi, who was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards in 1984. That the handful of Khalistani militants and sympathizers have deep international links stands vindicated from the very fact that the crackdown by the Punjab police from 18 March 2023 onwards has led to simultaneous protests from the pro-Khalistani elements among the Sikh diaspora in the countries like US, UK, Australia and Canada.

Perceived Potential Threats to Nation

Like the author mentioned earlier, an overwhelming majority of Sikhs in India and overseas love India as their motherland with many of them holding high positions in the government and military; some of them have even reached to the coveted positions of the prime minister and president of the country on the past. Just to avoid unnecessary controversies, the author would just mention the basic and undeniable truth that the Hindus and Sikhs have traditionally shared many common and close socio-religious bonds since the latter’s origin in 16th century CE with Guru Nanak Dev Ji as first Guru and 10th Guru Govind Singh Ji starting the Khalsa Panth in 1699 giving distinct identity to Sikhs with 5Ks i.e. Kesh (hair), Kangha (comb), Kara (bracelet), Kachera (an undergarment) and Kirpan (usually a small curved sword), after the latter’s father, Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, was beheaded during the Islamic sharia rule of the tyrant Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb for refusing to convert to Islam and the Hindus and Nanakpanthis were facing the worst ever threat of survival with their socio-religious customs and traditions in peril. It is also an undeniable fact that many Hindu families around that time, and later too, used to endow their eldest son to the Khalsa Panth for the common cause of welfare following Guru Govind Singh’s call.

The gory incidents and their illustrated account after independence and formation of Pakistan in 1947 is not a secret that the maximum brunt in terms of the loss of life and property was together shared by the Sikhs and Hindus at the hands of frenzied Islamists in the part of Punjab and other provinces gone to Pakistan and the persecution of both communities still continues in three neighbouring Islamic countries. The unfortunate part of the saga is that some selfish and ignorant Sikhs are falling easy prey to the designs of the ISI and other terrorist groups to make a common cause against India and Hindu community. Ironically, while these handful separatists talk of carving out Khalistan from Indian Punjab and other territories but they conveniently forget and are never found raising the issue of the greater Western Punjab gone to Pakistan where the Sikhs had a majority in many areas and were forced to abandon their homeland and property along with Hindu brethren to come to India as refugees in 1947 following the communal riots. So-called secular parties like the ruling Aam Admi Party too are responsible to a certain degree for anarchy in the state with their flippant approach to deal with the separatists.

 That the very concept of Khalistan is part of a larger international conspiracy of the vested interests, including the “Bleed India” doctrine of the enemy nation in the neighbouthood, is also vindicated by the fact that the efforts by the disruptive forces are constantly on to escalate a fake narrative globally in staging protests with the multitude of cars carrying Khalistani flags and LED mobile billboard trucks at the venues like the iconic Times Square at Manhattan, New York. Currently, the Billboard displays at the Times Square while constantly flashing the images to glorify the deceased militant Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale and fugitive Amritpal Singh, are also running fake stories of excesses committed by the Indian government on the Sikh community. Even more surprising and objectionable is the fact that the Western countries like the US, Canada and UK allow such obnoxious activities on their soil in the garb of the freedom of expression.

In the absence of appropriate preventive and curative measures to stop militancy and false narrative about Khalistan in India and abroad, it may cause the following long term and irreversible threats and damage to the peace, security and integrity of India.

1.     The most ironical and unfortunate part of the current saga of militancy and misinformation in Punjab by the misguided and indoctrinated Sikhs at the hands Pakistan ISI and other vested interests abroad is their purported efforts and conspiracy to spoil age-old harmonious relationship and ‘roti-beti ka rishta’ between the Hindu and Sikh communities. With its explosive potential to instigate and spoil the centuries old ethnic (socio-religious) affinity between the two communities, it may lead to the repetition of the violence and instability of the 1980s and 1990s wherein hundreds of innocent Hindus, government officials and security personnel were killed in a series of bomb blasts and assassination attempts. With increasing awareness among the majority community during the recent years, possible reprisals on their part may further complicate the law and order situation in the country.

2.     The Khalistan movement itself is about an attempt of carving out an independent state from within the existing Indian territories; thus, it poses a potential threat to the security and integrity of the nation. Therefore, any laxity or leverage granted to the Sikh extremists will not only compromise the position of Punjab but might also lead to similar secessionist demands in other parts and from the ethnic groups too, the most vulnerable being Jammu & Kashmir and north-eastern states of the country. 

3.     Already there are sufficient evidences and reasons to believe that the separatist and extremist Sikhs in India and abroad are receiving constant moral and material support from the ISI and terrorist groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba based in Pakistan. For the decades, India has suffered and bled with the attacks from different terrorist groups based in Pakistan but the present Indian government and security forces have now succeeded in drastically restraining them. So naturally, their illicit connection and cooperation with the Khalistani militants may open fresh vistas of the cross-border terrorism.

Postscript

After the partition of the erstwhile Bharat into India and Pakistan in 1947, the Punjabi political party Akali Dal started the Punjabi Suba Movement for the Sikhs. Consequently, the Indian side of the erstwhile Punjab was trifurcated into Punjabi-speaking majority Punjab, Hindi-speaking majority Haryana and the Union Territory of Chandigarh with certain hilly regions merged into Himachal Pradesh. Later, the seeds of secession came from the Anandpur Sahib Resolution in 1973 largely owing to the frustration of defeat of the Shiromani Akali Dal in 1971 parliamentary and 1972 Punjab state assembly elections at the hands of the Congress Party, whereunder the former sought autonomy for the state with its own constitution. During 1980s, Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale hijacked the Anandpur Sahib agenda with his extreme views and started targeting Hindus and liberal Sikhs resulting in numerous innocent killings and high-profile political murders leading to the Operation Blue Star, murder of ex-PM Indira Gandhi and its reprisal & retribution by the Congress supporters inflicting the loss of lives and properties of hundreds of innocent Sikh families.

During the 1980s to early 1990s, the state of Punjab remained disturbed due to widespread terrorism with the ISI from the neighbourhood providing active support to Khalistani and Islamic terrorist groups under their “Bleed India” doctrine to foment turmoil in Punjab and Kashmir respectively. However, most of the Sikhs being patriotic community, the separatists did not received much traction in Punjab; consequently, the Punjab administration and police was able to successfully deal with the handful extremists and their ulterior designs. Ever since the Khalistan movement has more or less remained dormant or dead with some stray elements raising the issue mostly from the foreign lands. Such elements are unable to derive much support from the people of Punjab but the idea of Khalistan has both ideological and material backing from some affluent Sikhs based in Canada, US and UK. They are the ones supplemented with the ISI, who continue to pump money and ideological support endorsing minnows and even petty criminals to revive the movement. The recent billboards at the Times Square glorifying slain militant Bhindrawale and the fugitive Amritpal only illustrate this point.