Punjabi Salwa Judum and Godi Media

Prem Mahadevan writes in his book 'The Politics of Counterterrorism in India: Strategic Intelligence and National Security in South Asia', "K.P.S. Gill told the author that whenever the Punjab police sought to set up village defence militias, they gave priority to those villages which sympathised with leftist politics." This exposing statement was in relation to the Khalistan movement.

The practice of 'Salwa Judum' adopted by the state in Naxalites affected areas of Chhattisgarh in the first decade of the 21st century was ironically inspired from the alliance between Punjabi Naxalites/communists and Punjab police in the 80s. 

These comparisons were never drawn in the mainstream media or Godi Media as Punjabi Salwa Judum, remained active in Punjab in the 80s, was more a hidden network as Punjabi Naxalites/communists and Punjab police had no moral justification for this unnatural alliance unlike articulated in the case of Salwa Judum in Chattisgarh. Punjabi Salwa Judum was an extended arm of Punjab police in the fight against Khalistani fighters. 

(This article is in the context of Godi Media narrative pushed by Ravish Kumar in his December 10, 2020)

Famous poet Avtar Singh Pash was also party to this alliance. Neither the state nor the Punjabi communists had any reason to make this alliance public. Still, Godi media of the 80s would often remove the curtain just out of excitement. Godi Media’s attempts to make heroes out of Punjabi Salwa Judam activists are the reason that we have few references about this alliance.

India Today

Book ‘State and the counter Terrorism’ by Harish K Puri, Paramjit Singh Judge and Jagrup Singh Sekhon, which by and large carry forward state narrative around Punjab trouble in the 80s also make some admissions about such alliance between Punjabi Naxalites/communists and Punjab police.

Why this unnatural alliance was formed 

Much before communists came in a political struggle with Khalistanis in Punjab, there was the rise of Naxalites movement in the state in the 1960s. This extreme-left movement was crushed by the state with an iron hand in the 70s. Before Khalistanis, fake encounters were used to kill Naxalite movement in Punjab. 

Naxalites & Khalistanis were tortured using the same methods.
Book ‘State and the Counter Terrorism.’

As soon as Naxalite movement died in the state, Punjab saw the rise of the Sikh armed movement, which was later called the Khalistani movement after 1984. Many former Naxalites joined the Sikh armed movement. One of the many examples is Nachatar Singh Brar from village Rode, district Moga. Born on 1953, Nachatar Singh was communist in his initial days.

He allegedly killed Ajaib Singh of Kokari Kalan in Moga, who according to Naxalites was a prime witness against Bhagat Singh and was allotted 200 acres of land by British for appearing in witness box against Bhagat Singh in ‘Saunders murder case.’ Nachatar Singh allegedly killed Ajaib Singh to follow the order of his party.

Nachatar Singh 

The same Nachatar Singh was later arrested for killing Punjab Kesri chief Lala Jagat Narain as part of Sikh arms movement. Nachatar Singh was not alone. Many former Naxalites were attracted towards the Sikh armed movement. It was the biggest reason behind Punjabi communists turning against Khalistanis and formed an alliance with Punjab police.

While some among the Punjabi Naxalites could clearly see the communal politics of Congress in Punjab of the 80s but others sided with the State and instead went beyond it and collaborated with the government and police. They never opposed State terrorism. Some even turned touts of Police. While the problem of Punjab including of militancy was political, but they termed it communal. They became apologists of fake encounters in Punjab and other police excesses. They would never open their mouth on misuse of UAPA in Punjab or other serious human rights violations. That tendency continues even till today.

 

Godi Media established Human Rights narrative around Punjabi Salwa Judum

How left join hands with police
from Book ‘State and the counter Terrorism.’

Capitalistic Godi media, however, was quick to publish self-glorifying accounts of state-sponsored groups like CPML New democracy. Here is an example of a claim of such a communist armed fighter claiming that his house was attacked by 200 Khalistani fighters. 

Can you believe that any armed movement into Guerilla warfare with limited cadre would risk stoking all its strength of 200 even for those on top of its hit list? You would publish such lies only if you work with Godi media and Ravish Kumar was also taken in by such lies of Godi media. The direct political fight between Khalistanis and Punjabi communists was presented as a fight for human rights.

Source Times of India

In his Prime Time Show on December 10, 2020, Ravish Kumar seemed too emotional about Avtar Singh Pash. He quoted 'Supneyan Da Mar Jana', most famous poem written by Pash, for which poet faced allegations of plagiarism like a couple of others published on his name. Ravish Kumar should also read kind of propaganda Pash was into against Khalistanis by not only justifying Army attack on Akal Takht but also using adjectives like dogs for his political opponents in the literature that was being published with the support of right-wing groups. Pash never wrote for human rights. His writings were only political. 

 

Police provide weapons to communists
Book: ‘State and the counter Terrorism’

Ravish can prove it wrong if he wants to believe that these are not fact and just propaganda. Last but not the least, Haryana police was so much in love with Pash that and even constructed a library on his name in Karnal police line. Pash claimed to be a former Naxalite sympathiser. 

Book: ‘State and the counter Terrorism.’

This is how some Left groups are biased against Sikhs can be understood from the fact that when Ravish showed a report that how in farmers protest pictures of so-called urban Naxals were displayed, there was not even a single picture from Punjab of any Sikh activists even as there have been several cases of UAPA.

So these Left and Ultra Left groups agree with the State the narrative against Sikhs that when anybody is branded Khalistani by State and booked under UAPA, then State has to be believed. Still, when it terms somebody a Naxalite, that is usually a lie for them.

Such cases in Punjab are ignored by left
in Punjab

These Left groups could have shown pictures of Jaswant Singh Khalra, the most prominent martyr of Human Rights in Punjab, who was eliminated by Punjab Police only for exposing human rights excesses. They should have shown pictures of those three Sikh youths who were booked under UAPA for having literature only, and even police eventually had to admit that they were involved in any violent activity. This brings out that these Left and Ultra Left groups have the same Hate for Sikhs which sections of RW nurse.

 There are serious violations of human rights in Punjab, on which Ughrahan is accused of adopting selective silencer because of their alleged connections with Punjabi Salwa Judum.