The police officer in Amritsar who refused to release suspected terrorists under a minister’s pressure deserves to be honoured. He symbolizes the hope that at least a part of the Punjab police can be depended upon to do its duty even in the face of heavy odds. By the same token the minister who slapped this honourable police officer for not submitÂting to his dishonourable demand deserves to be sacked. He symbolizes the forces which have brought Punjab to the present pass. But it is unrealistic to expect the chief minister, Mr. Surjit Singh Barnala, to dismiss him. Mr. Barnala is faced with the challenge of the breakaway Akalis and their allies within his own government and cannot, therefore, display the kind of firmness that is required of him in dealing with his ministerial colleagues who are known to maintain contacts with extremists and even terrorists. So it looks as if we have to live with this painful situation in which ministers feel free to insult or even assault police officers just because they are trying to discharge their responsibilities. This must embarrass the Punjab police chief, Mr. Ribeiro, who has managed to raise the morale of the force and to add to his heart-breaking difficulties. But it cannot be helped. This remarkable servant of the Indian state has to bear this cross. Only he should know that the whole nation stands behind him in his valiant struggle against the terrorists and their supporters in high places.
We did not need the incident in Amritsar to underscore the odds the law enforcement agencies have to cope with in Punjab. We have known it all along and said so. Indeed, that is one reason why we regard the recent performance of law enforcement agencies under Mr. Ribeiro’s leadership so worthy of praise. But the episode should help remind Mr. Barnala (and Mr. Rajiv Gandhi) that law and order will remain the central issue in Punjab for a long time to come. The figures given by Mr. Ribeiro underline the same conclusion. He has said that two-thirds of the hard core terrorists still remain at large. And, needless to add, they remain active. There is hardly a day when they do not kill or loot. The atmosphere has changed both in Punjab and the rest of the country. The stray killings by the terrorists do not cause the kind of panic these did earlier. To some extent, the people have got used to the ugly reports. But it is not a case of sudden apathy. The successes of the law enforcement agencies in getting hold of hard core terrorists day after day have helped restore a measure of confidence among the people. But the back of the terrorists has by no means broken and their morale shattered. Above all, there are forces which remain determined to see to it that normalcy does not return to the state. The recent conference of “ragis” in Sirhind illustrates this reality.