Waris Punjab De (meaning "heirs of Punjab") is a

Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...

political group based in Punjab, India. It was initially a

pressure group Advocacy groups, also known as interest groups, special interest groups, lobbying groups or pressure groups use various forms of advocacy in order to influence public opinion and ultimately policy. They play an important role in the develop ...

advocating issues related to the state, which subsequently became pro- Khalistan.

Deep Sidhu Sandeep Singh Sidhu, known as Deep Sidhu (2 April 1984 – 15 February 2022) was an Indian actor, barrister and activist who worked in Punjabi language films. Sidhu started his film career with the Punjabi film '' Ramta Jogi'' which was produc ...

was the group's founder-chief until his death in February 2022.

Amritpal Singh Amritpal Singh Sandhu (born 17 January 1993) is a radical Indian Khalistan separatist, a self-styled Sikh preacher and leader of the organisation Waris Punjab De ("Heirs of Punjab") from Punjab, India. After living in Dubai for a decade, he ...

took charge of the group after the death of its founder.

History

Formation

On 29 September 2021, Sandeep Singh Sidhu, popularly known as Deep Sidhu, announced the formation of Waris Punjab De, as “a

Pressure group Advocacy groups, also known as interest groups, special interest groups, lobbying groups or pressure groups use various forms of advocacy in order to influence public opinion and ultimately policy. They play an important role in the develop ...

to protect and fight for rights of Punjab and raise social issues”. The organization played a role in the

2020–2021 Indian farmers' protest The 2020–2021 Indian farmers' protest was a protest against three farm acts that were passed by the Parliament of India in September 2020. The acts, often called the Farm Bills, have been described as "anti-farmer laws" by many farmer unions ...

under the leadership of its founder. During the protests, Amritpal Singh joined Waris Punjab De, founded by actor and activist Sidhu to mobilise farmers.

Tenure of Amritpal Singh

took over as leader of the organization after the death of its founder in an automobile accident. It is rumoured that Deep Sidhu and Amritpal Singh had never actually met in real life and only interacted over social media. The family of Deep Sidhu have questioned Singh's claim to leadership. A letter appeared on a Facebook account of Waris Punjab De on 4 March 2022 appointing Amritpal as the organisation's leader.Jupinderjit Singh
The rise and fall of Amritpal Singh
, The Tribune (India), 20 March 2023. The appointment remains controversial. According to some sources, Sidhu had appointed Harnek Singh Uppal as the head of the organisation even while he was alive. So Sidhu's death did not make a difference to the organisation. A break-away faction of the organisation apparently chose Amritpal as its leader using a "hacked" Facebook account, while the original organisation has continued under Uppal (now called the "Deep Sidhu faction").Unaware how Amritpal Singh declared himself head of ‘Waris Punjab De’, says Deep Sidhu’s kin
, Financial Express, 24 February 2023. After the coming of leadership of Amritpal Singh, the mission of the organization has shifted towards the aims of “follow the tenets of Sikhism” and “establish Khalsa Raj”. The organization supported the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) in the

2022 Punjab Legislative Assembly election Legislative Assembly elections were held in Punjab on 20 February 2022 to elect the 117 members of the 16th Assembly of the Punjab Legislative Assembly. The votes were counted and the results were declared on 10 March 2022. The Aam Aadmi P ...

. It launched a movement to promote Sikhs to undergo the Amrit Sanskar initiation ceremony into the Khalsa order, condemned drug usage and addiction, and practices such as dowry, through tours throughout the state of Punjab in November 2022. On 23 February 2023, clashes between supporters of the group and police broke out in Ajnala, Punjab. The group was criticized for carrying a copy of the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy scripture of the Sikhs, during the clashes, with some arguing that it was used as a "shield". The body has been accused of being funded by the Pakistani

ISI ISI or Isi may refer to: Organizations * Intercollegiate Studies Institute, a classical conservative organization focusing on college students * Ice Skating Institute, a trade association for ice rinks * Indian Standards Institute, former name of ...

Crackdown

On 18 March 2023, Indian authorities launched a manhunt for Singh after he was accused by police of

attempted murder Attempted murder is a crime of attempt in various jurisdictions. Canada Section 239 of the ''Criminal Code'' makes attempted murder punishable by a maximum of life imprisonment. If a gun is used, the minimum sentence is four, five or seven ye ...

, obstruction of law enforcement and creating "disharmony" in society. During the manhunt, Indian authorities deployed thousands of paramilitary police and restricted Internet and mobile messaging services for nearly 30 million people across the Punjab state. Indian authorities also arrested more than 200 people while conducting a massive manhunt. Meanwhile, Singh was nowhere to be found. After more than a month, on 23 April 2023, Singh was arrested from Rode village in Moga district, Punjab. Later, he was taken to the high-security Dibrugarh jail in Assam state.

List of jathedars

Political entry

In the

2024 Lok Sabha election General elections are expected to be held in India between April and May 2024 to elect 543 members of the Lok Sabha. Background The tenure of the 17th Lok Sabha is scheduled to end on 16 June 2024. The previous general elections were held ...

, Waris Panjab De leader

contested from the Khadoor Sahib constituency while behind bars in Dibrugarh Jail over NSA charges. He ended up victorious, winning with a lead of nearly 200,000 votes, setting a record in Punjab. Amritpal Singh had contested as an Independent candidate, though with the support of Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar). However, Waris Panjab De is not a registered political party and nor has there been any mention of this. After multiple Punjab Vidhan Sabha members were elected into the Lok Sabha, their constituencies become vacant. Along with the progression of this situation, multiple Waris Panjab De members that are currently imprisoned in Dibrugarh Jail under the NSA, have followed in the footsteps of

and have declared their intention to contest the By-Elections of vacant seats in the Vidhan Sabha. As of June 30, 2024, Bhagwant Singh Bajeke will contest from Gidderbaha, Kulwant Singh Rauke from

Barnala Barnala is a city in the state of Punjab of India. Barnala city serves as the headquarters of the Barnala district which was formed in 2006. Prior to formation of Barnala district, this city was located in Sangrur district. It is situated ne ...

, and Daljeet Singh Kalsi from Dera Baba Nanak Assembly constituency. It is logical to conclude that they will all contest as Independent candidates, influenced by the head of their organization.

References

{{Khalistan movement Khalistan movement Punjabi nationalism Sikh politics 2022 establishments in Punjab, India Political parties established in 2022 Political parties in Punjab, India Pro-Khalistan rebel groups