The Chief Minister of Punjab – Captain Amarinder Singh finds himself in a tough spot as posters announcing rewards for killing him appeared at a prime location of Sector 66/67 traffic lights in Mohali. The posters, with Captain’s picture, were stuck on a guide map of the town and nearby areas. The police are said to have handed over the investigation into the matter to the cybercrime team. The posters have been put up at a time when the borders of Delhi have been blockaded by protesting farmers from Punjab and Haryana, who are agitating against the Centre’s three revolutionary farm laws.
After the vandalism of Reliance Jio towers in Punjab, which already made for quite a bad press for the Chief Minister, Khalistanis now appear to be coming for the man’s life itself. Captain Amarinder Singh has been a pro-India and anti-Khalistan proponent and is known to not mince words in condemning the fools going around calling themselves Khalistani activists.
With the farmers’ protests, however, Captain Amarinder Singh has had to measure every word of his, as it is no secret that separatist elements have hijacked the protests. Having an anti-Khalistan approach thus makes Amarinder Singh a prime target for Khalistanis, who are using the farmers’ protests as a window of opportunity to push Punjab back into the dark days it came out of 30 years ago.
The poster put up in Mohali by unknown individual(s) stated, “D Company hereby announces a cash reward of ₹10 lakhs [for killing Captain Amarinder Singh]. The name of the informant(s) shall be kept absolutely secret. Pertinent information may be given to the following email: daldar_ibrahim@hotmail.com.” Police sources said that the poster seems to have been printed at a cyber cafe. The email address found on the poster is being verified by the cyber team, an official told India Today.
“We have seized the poster and have registered a case under section 504, 506, 120B of IPC and section 3, 4 and 5 of Punjab Prevention of Defacement of Property Ordinance Act. The email ID mentioned on the poster is also being verified. The matter has been handed over to the cybercrime team. Investigations are on.” IO police station phase 11, Sohan Singh said. Sources told India Today that Khalistani elements are suspected to be behind the poster. It must be remembered that banned outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) had earlier threatened to kill Captain Amarinder Singh.
The ongoing farmers’ protests on the borders of the national capital have already seen spurious and vile rhetoric being peddled by anti-India elements, and the supposed ‘tyranny’ of the Modi government on the farmers of Punjab has riled up sentiments in the state and surrounding areas. Therefore, it would not come as a particular surprise to see a Khalistani element being nabbed soon for announcing a bounty on Punjab’s Chief Minister Amarinder Singh while claiming to stand for the rights of Punjab’s farmers.
Captain Amarinder Singh, fearing a loss of political capital owing to the largescale anti-reforms sentiment in Punjab was forced to appear to be taking on the Modi government, although things have been going downhill for him ever since. Khalistanis, meanwhile, who already enjoy the support of AAP and are increasingly also being eyed by the Akali Dal are uncomfortable with an Amarinder Singh regime in the state, which is as pro-India as they come.
The posters which were put up in Mohali should serve as a reminder to the Punjab Chief Minister that he must come down cracking hard on separatist elements while he still can. What is needed here is a massive crackdown on Khalistani elements, and Captain Amarinder Singh must initiate the same in tandem with central agencies at the earliest. This is an opportunity for Captain to weed out Khalistani elements from Punjab once and for all.
