It is hardly necessary to say that the government had no choice but to arrest the acting presidents of the SGPC and the Akali Dal. Indeed, it might have to detain many more second-rank Akali leaders and SGPC functionaries (the big mischief makers are already in jail) if it is to keep the lid on in Punjab. Despite the army action in flushing out the terrorists from the gurdwaras, including the Golden Temple in Amritsar, and subsequently arresting hundreds of suspects, the law and order situation in the state remains fragile. This is evident, on the one hand, from the number of arrests that continue to be made and the amount of arms and ammunition that continue to be seized and, on the other, from the continuing acts of terrorism. Clearly it will be quite some time before the authorities are able to stamp out extremism and restore some kind of normalcy in the state. In such a situation they cannot allow disruptive elements a free hand to wreck their efforts. And there can be no doubt that the Akali Dal and the SGPC belong to that category.
In view of the role the two organisations have played in the past two years in paving the way for the reign of terror by the Bhindranwale gang in Punjab, it would have been unrealistic to expect that those associated with them will undergo a sudden change of heart in the wake of the army operations and cooperate with the authorities in restoring normalcy in the state. But they could legitimately have been expected not to stoke the fire so soon. They have chosen not to allow passions to cool down. To begin with, they frustrated Mr Buta Singh’s efforts to persuade the five head priests to undertake the repair or reconstruction of the Akal Takht in the Golden Temple complex. They not only made the head priests to stipulate political conditions such as the immediate withdrawal of the army and release of individuals detained in connection with the upheaval in Punjab but let it be known that they would press for the resignation of two of the five priests who had given expression to their unhappiness over the conversion of the Golden Temple and other gurdwaras into arsenals. Mr Atma Singh and Mr Ujagar Singh Shekhwan then went on to summon meetings of the SGPC and the Akali Dal.
The government has let it be known that according to the information available to it, these meetings would have been utilized to order a new non-cooperation movement, or perhaps more accurately, a revival of the one which Mr Longowal was to launch in June. There is no good reason to doubt the authenticity of this information if only because the call for observance of “Shaheedi Divas” on July 15 in memory of those killed in the army action in Amritsar on June 5-6 would not make much sense in the absence of such a movement. The authorities have taken the view that the five head priests have called for observing the “Shaheedi Divas” under pressure from the Akali Dal and the SGPC. In all probability they are right. But the issue is not particularly important. Just as before the army action the movement launched by the so-called moderate Akali leaders and the campaign of loot, murder and arson conducted under Bhindranwale auspices had become for all practical purposes two arms of a pincer movement, the calls by the five priests and the SPGC and the Akali Dal would have got dovetailed. This is something the government just cannot allow.
In the wake of the arrest of Mr Atma Singh and Mr Shekhwan has come another piece of evidence which indicates that Mrs Gandhi means business in Punjab. This is the resignation of the governor, Mr BD Pande. Within months of his appointment he had been found incapable of coping with the situation and should have been replaced a long time ago. Indeed, in view of his lack of experience in handling difficult law and order problems, he should not have been selected for the job. It speaks for the lackadaisical manner in which the Union government functions that he was picked up for what was clearly the toughest assignment in the country. That too was not all. New Delhi also picked up four advisers all of whom had subsequently to be withdrawn. And not much can be said in favour of Mr Bhinder who was put in charge of the police administration at the time of the imposition of President’s rule. He had doubtless inherited a very messy situation with large parts of the police force either sympathetic to the Akali Dal or even in league with it, or demoralized. But of late his own credentials have been questioned. We are in no position to vouch for the accuracy of the charges against him. But it is indisputable that the performance of the police force did not improve under him. So it is only proper that with Mr Pande he too has resigned. We only hope that Mrs. Gandhi will be more careful in finding their replacements.