The Fading Echo of Amritpal Singh’s Khalistan Spectacle

Amritpal Singh, once a prominent figure in Jallupur Khera village near Amritsar, created a false ‘enigma’ around Khalistan before his arrest in April. His radicalization efforts and infrastructure have now crumbled, with Singh and his associates imprisoned in Dibrugarh jail, Assam. Interestingly, the local sentiment has shifted, and residents of Jallupur Khera village claim that Khalistan was nothing more than a “bogey” fabricated by Singh. They assert that there is no real support for Khalistan on the ground.

Two village elders, Satpal Singh and Harman Singh, expressed their views, saying, “Khalistan is no issue, I don’t feel so… there is nothing on the ground, some people like Amritpal created it. How can Khalistan be made? This is India, and it will remain so.”

The local gurdwara, where Singh used to deliver sermons, and a nearby structure that housed a so-called de-addiction center, now lie deserted. Villagers reveal that the police raided this structure to recover arms, alleging that Singh radicalized young individuals and provided them with arms training instead of helping them overcome drug addiction.

However, the subject of Singh seems to be fading away from conversations in the village. Many believe that he is a ‘finished force,’ and those close to his family acknowledge the slim chances of his release from jail in the near future due to the serious charges against him. Singh had been on the run since March when the police attempted to apprehend him. He finally surrendered in Rode village, Punjab, after 35 days.

Even at his family home, a sense of gloom prevails, with his parents having limited opportunities to meet him in jail. Some youths in the village, on the other hand, praise Singh for his efforts in eradicating drug abuse. They claim that his private militia effectively enforced a ban on drug use in the area. “He was a man who got misguided… there were no thefts in the area when he was here, as there was no drug abuse. Now, again, you can find drug addicts everywhere around the village and neighboring areas,” they said.

People in Jallupur Khera now consider the larger issue to be unemployment. “There are no jobs here… the children of all of us are abroad in Canada. The Punjab government should work on that because if jobs become available, the youth will not be tempted towards drugs or Khalistani ideologies,” remarked Satpal and Harnam.

In conclusion, it is safe to say that the Amritpal factor has faded into obscurity, leaving behind a village more concerned about economic opportunities than the once-hyped Khalistan narrative.