New Delhi:
At a meeting this morning, Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde reportedly warned Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal about a new wave of militancy threatening the state.
This follows an assessment of the security agencies on the sudden rise of radical elements in Punjab after decades of peace.
Top government sources have told NDTV that the Prime Minister and the Home Minister have been briefed by intelligence agencies that the efforts to revive terrorism in Punjab are originating in European countries by a section of the Sikh community settled abroad; they are reportedly being aided by Pakistan. The propaganda, including recruitment drives for militant groups, is being disseminated over the internet.
Last month, more than 28 years after he led Operation Bluestar to flush out pro-Khalistan militants from the Golden Temple, Lt General Kuldeep Singh Brar was stabbed by four men in London. The 78-year-old has since returned home to Mumbai.
There is also a growing controversy over the move by the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), which handles the administration of several key gurudwaras and is considered the parliament of Sikhs, to build a memorial within the Golden Temple as tribute to those who were killed during Operation Bluestar by the army.
The Home Minister has publicly stated that he will not interfere with the plans for the memorial - a statement that attempts to deflect criticism that the union government trespasses often on the autonomy of state governments.
Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal is considered to a moderate leader and has refused to comment on the memorial. His son, Sukhbir, who is Deputy Chief Minister, said that the memorial will be a gurudwara and there are no plans to inscribe on the walls the names of the militants who died during Operation Bluestar. The BJP, which partners with Mr Badal in governing Punjab has expressed its reservations about the memorial.
"As of now what we are witnessing is remnants of the pro- Khalistani terrorist groups being reactivated," a senior security official told NDTV. "While it is still early days, a political initiative to quell any further rise of radical ideas in Punjab is urgently required," he added.
"Our assessment shows that that Punjab Police is capable of dealing with the situation and there no need to hit the panic button as yet but ignoring it could have serious consequences in the long run," the officer told NDTV.
More than the fact that radical Sikhism seems to be finding takers among a section of the youth and some disgruntled elements, what is bothering New Delhi is that there seems to be a political drift on how to deal with efforts to restart terrorism in Punjab. New Delhi hopes that Punjab will be able to come up with an effective political response to dissuade youth from accepting these ideas.
As a starting point, the Centre wants Mr Badal to send a clear message and explain to all stake holders including the SGPC that extreme political views will damage the image of the state and its economy.
On its part Indian security and intelligence agencies have already alerted friendly foreign countries and sought information about the attempts to restart the hate and terror campaign "Most of the countries we have approached are ready to cooperate and have already started sharing critical information on suspects who are trying to revitalize terrorism in Punjab," the officer told NDTV.
Intelligence officials say that is a marked change from the 1980s and the early 1990s when most countries were not keen to help India and some had even extended political asylum to the militants.