Crime & militancy

The Intelligence Bureau is reported to have informed the Union Home Ministry that Pakistan's ISI as well as Sikh separatist organisations outside India are attempting to contact criminals in Punjab to foment Khalistan-related trouble in the state. Per se, this should be worrying news, given the potential for vitiating the atmosphere any communally targeted violence has, as seen over the past of couple of years. However, none of this comes as surprise in view of what earlier arrests and reports have indicated, including the Nabha jailbreak in which a militant and gangsters escaped together. A few 'reformed' gangsters have also attempted to take to politics, or claimed interest in Punjabi or Sikh causes.

Militants and criminals have certain common logistic and functional requirements, such as a network of informants, access to weapons, hideouts, and a willingness to pull the trigger, even if their motivations be different. To that extent any coordination between the two would be natural. In the present context, however, that should not be overly worrying, as the police has demonstrated an upper hand on the state’s criminal gangs. For now, the police only need to continue treating all of them on a par, i.e., as part of the law and order challenge and go purely by scientific surveillance and evidence, without bias to suspects' political/religious affiliations. That keeps communal tension under check, and saves the police also from any communal taint. 

Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh had also met Home Minister Rajnath Singh earlier with concerns very similar to the IB inputs, and had received assurance of cooperation from the Central agencies. A certain discretion is advisable in such overt messaging indulged in by top state and Central leaders. While the security agencies may go about their business, the political leadership should send out no indication that any group or section of society is seen as suspect by the State. For now, mischief makers are finding it difficult to recruit young men; their contacting criminals is evidence. It should remain that way, and the youth of the state need be given no reason to be angry.