Arrest of Sikh Separatist Leader Amritpal Singh in India and Its Implications

Indian police have arrested Amritpal Singh, a Sikh separatist leader who has been on the run since last month. Singh had revived calls for an independent Sikh homeland and the secession of India’s northern Punjab state, which has a history of violent insurgency. He was arrested in Moga, a town in Punjab state, after surrendering at a Sikh shrine. Singh heads Waris Punjab De, an organization that was part of a massive campaign to mobilize farmers against controversial agriculture reforms being pushed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.