Resurgence of Khalistan Movement

Context

• On February 23, hundreds of followers of a Khalistan leader clashed with police outside Ajnala police station near Amritsar, demanding the release of one of their colleagues who had been taken into custody in an alleged kidnapping case.
• This was the second such attack on the police in Punjab in a fortnight. These incidents are being linked with the revival of the Khalistan movement of 1990s Punjab.
• In this context, this edition of the burning issue will discuss this revival of Khalistan demand and the issue around it.

What was the Khalistan movement?

• Dates to pre-independence era: The Khalistan movement, which started in the 1940s during British rule, calls for establishing a separate nation for Sikhs. When India became independent and Punjab was partitioned, its leaders demanded a special status for the state. However, the Central Government did not pay attention to these demands, and Sikhs felt betrayed, leading to the idea of a separate nation growing substantially.
• Rise of Bhindranwale: Many individuals and organizations contributed to the Sikh revivalist movement; however, Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale emerged as a charismatic leader after becoming the head of Damdami Taksal on August 25, 1977.
• Failure to fulfil regional demand: Punjabi political parties, such as the Sikh Akali Party, failed to fulfil the regional demands concerning river waters and the transfer of Chandigarh as a capital city to Punjab. The devolution of power gave rise to Bhindranwale’s image among the masses.
• Finally Military Operation: The military mission, OBS, was carried out between June 1 to June 10, 1984, to take control of key gurdwaras, including the Golden Temple in Amritsar, from Bhindranwale’s supporters. Bhindranwale was killed during the operation; however, in recent times, his image remains alive and well.

Why is it being revived?

• Political instability: Punjab in recent years has witnessed a political crisis leading to a change in governments, ruling political parties and CM’s giving chance for radical outfits to grow.
• Economic challenges: Punjab state has a high employment rate (According to data from the Centre’s Periodic Labour Force Survey 2019-20, Punjab’s unemployment rate is higher than the national average). Also, the year-long Farmers’ protest in 2021 and railways blockades have led to the creation of negative sentiments among investors about the state’s investment environment leading to decreasing investments in Punjab and rising unemployment.
• Rising communalism: multiple events of blasphemy have taken place in the state which is flaming the fire of communalism among the people of the state.
• Provocation from Pakistan: Investigations by security agencies suggest links between Khalistani groups and Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) – further increasing the likelihood of feelings of separatism due to drug trafficking and networking through Sikh pilgrimages.
• Feeling to of persecuted minority: images of the 1984 anti-sikh riots and the topic of the non-persecution of culprits of the riots are being used to suggest that Sikhs are persecuted minority and thus they must have their own land in form of Khalistan.

Role of diaspora and social media in the resurgence

• Propaganda by parts of the Sikh diaspora: There is a threat of a re-emergence of the idea of Khalistan due to an increase in the propaganda by parts of the Sikh diaspora in Western countries, effectively utilizing social media.
• Use of Social media as a uniting platform: it is pertinent to understand the re-emergence of Khalistan, wherein traditional propaganda machinery is being used to generate social media acceptance.
• Misinformation campaigns: Organizations like Sikhs for Justice, Khalistan Liberation Force, and Babbar Khalsa International run misinformation campaigns on social media through Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. The most recent campaign, which attracted enormous attention, was the Referendum 2020
• Identity consciousness among the youth: Further, it signifies a trend of identity consciousness among the youth residing in the West and Punjab. As discussed in the following paragraphs, ISI and the terror outfits operating from Pakistan heavily oversee the internet presence of elements spreading Pro-Khalistani content. Such social media activity is generated through traditional networks that still work on the ground in collaboration with Pakistan’s ISI, seeking to create a groundswell for the idea of a Sikh homeland.
• Involvement of Pakistan’s ISI: ISI is using a double strategy of tapping into the Jammu & Kashmir terror network to revive the Khalistan movement in Punjab. By using drugs as a means to radicalize the Punjabi youth, ISI means to destabilize Punjab.

Cause of concern

• Threat to national security and integrity: the resurgence of the Khalistan movement is a threat to national security similar to the Kashmir and NE insurgency.
• May darken Punjab’s future: a poor law and order situation may deter investors to invest in Punjab thus further deteriorating its economy and leading to spillover effects in social and political sectors.
• Involvement of diaspora: The idea of forming a separate state for Sikhs has died down in Punjab; however, it has attracted the attention of a large audience in the diaspora who now have settled in other nations for long and thus have lost their affinity with India as their homeland.
• Misuse of social media: which defies any international boundary, thus misused by separatists in Pakistan and other nations.
• Bilateral relations may be harmed: the Khalistan issue has already harmed Indo- Canada relations and now straining Indo-UK due to the conduction of Referendum 2020 in these countries despite the Indian Government’s objection.

How to tackle the rise

• Recognising new challenges: Recognizing the challenge posed by traditional stakeholders and new social media recruits is necessary.
• Collaborate with foreign governments: The Indian security and intelligence forces need to collaborate with foreign governments to monitor anti-India activities carried out by the Khalistani forces and restrict their funding sources.
• Enhance security efforts: The Indian government must heighten security efforts to counteract the increase in Khalistani social media activity since the opening up of the Kartarpur Corridor.
• Promote economic and social development: At the domestic level, the Punjab and Union governments and security forces must collaborate to improve the economic condition of the state to again put the state on the path of development.
• Engage with the Sikh diaspora: Indian agencies, such as the missions established in those countries, must diplomatically engage with the Sikh diaspora to tackle the misinformation campaign being peddled by Khalistani organizations. Such engagements will facilitate a positive relationship between the Indian state and the Sikh diaspora.
• Beef up security: Indian security forces need to step up their preparedness to tackle the increase in drones used to deliver weapons and drugs to Punjab.
• Engage Pakistan: In addition to Western countries, India should not back away from exercising diplomacy with Pakistan and should work to extradite terrorists hiding in Pakistan.

Steps taken

• As part of recent actions taken against the Khalistan propaganda, the Indian government has banned influential Twitter accounts such as 1984tribute, Khalsa Kashmir, and Khalistan Centre.
• Maintaining a Central Adverse List: of pro-Khalistani supporters

Conclusion

• Until Sikhs get closure for the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 by means of court proceedings against the riot accused, the desire for a Sikh homeland will remain strong among the diaspora, who see themselves as a persecuted minority.
• The violent Khalistani movement has vanished; however, the idea of a separate Sikh nation i.e Khalistan is yet to disappear.

‘Right to be Forgotten’ in India

The Delhi High Court is all set to hear a doctor’s plea for enforcement of his ‘Right to be Forgotten’, which includes the removal of news articles and other incriminating content related to his “wrongful arrest” in response to a “fabricated FIR against him” which he claims is causing detriment to his life and personal liberty.

What is the Right to be forgotten?

1. The “Right to be Forgotten” is the right to remove or erase content so that it’s not accessible to the public at large.
2. It empowers an individual to have information in the form of news, video, or photographs deleted from internet records so it doesn’t show up through search engines, like Google in the present case.

What is the law on the Right to be Forgotten?

1. Section 43A of the Information Technology Act, 2000 says that organizations that possess sensitive personal data and fail to maintain appropriate security to safeguard such data, resulting in wrongful loss or wrongful gain to anyone, may be obligated to pay damages to the affected person.
2. While, the IT Rules, 2021 do not include this right, they do however, lay down the procedure for filing complaints with the designated Grievance Officer so as to have content exposing personal information about a complainant removed from the internet.

What have the courts said so far?

1. While the right is not recognized by a law or a statute in India expressly, the courts have repeatedly held it to be endemic to an individual’s Right to Privacy under Article 21 since the Apex Court’s 2017 ruling in “K.S.Puttaswamy vs Union of India”.
2. In this case, a nine-judge bench, including CJI Chandrachud, referred to the European Union Regulation of 2016 which recognized “the right to be forgotten” an individual’s right to remove personal information from the system when “he is no longer desirous of his personal data to be processed or stored” or when “its no longer necessary, relevant, or is incorrect and serves no legitimate interest”.
3. However, the court also recognized that such a right can be restricted by the right to freedom of expression and information or “for compliance with legal obligations”, or for the performance of tasks in the public interest or on “grounds of public interest in the area of public health” or “scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes, or for the establishment” and “exercise or defense of legal claims”.

What is this case?

1. In “Dr. Ishwarprasad Gilda vs. Union of India & Others”, a practicing doctor who is a “world-renowned figure in the fight against HIV-AIDS” was accused of offenses under the Indian Penal Code, including causing death by negligence (Section 304A), cheating (Section 417) and personating a public servant (Section 170).
2. The doctor was accused of illegally procuring medicines from abroad and administering them to HIV patients in India, who he was also accused of “mishandling”.
3. When one of the patients, Girdhar Verma, passed away, the petitioner contends he was wrongfully arrested on 23 April 1999, and was subsequently given bail on 11 May 1999.
4. Thereafter, relying on a trial court order from 4 August 2009, exonerating him, he reiterated that there was no evidence of him having engaged in any illegality.
5. Thus, the doctor approached the Delhi High Court seeking directions to the respondents like Google, the Press Information Bureau, and the Press Council of India to remove all “irrelevant” news content causing “grave injury” to his reputation and dignity or to pass any other order or direction to safeguard his dignity, including availing his “Right to be Forgotten.”

What are the origins of this Right?

1. The Right to be Forgotten originates from the 2014 European Court of Justice ruling in the case of “Google Spain SL, Google Inc v Agencia Española de Protección de Datos, Mario Costeja González”, where it was codified for the first time following a Spanish man’s quest to make the world forget a 1998 advertisement saying “his home was being repossessed to pay off debts.”
2. Thereafter, it was included in the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in addition to the right to erasure. Article 17 of the GDPR provides for the right to erasure and lays down certain conditions when such a right can be restricted.

Marburg virus and the recent outbreak

The World Health Organisation (WHO) convened an urgent meeting after central African nation Equatorial Guinea confirmed its first outbreak of the highly infectious Marburg virus disease, or MVD. Preliminary tests turned out to be positive for the deadly disease, which is similar to Ebola, the United Nations health body said.

About Marburg virus disease:

1. It is a severe illness that causes viral haemorrhagic fever in humans (it was formerly known as Marburg haemorrhagic fever).
2. The virus was first identified after simultaneous outbreaks in Frankfurt and Marburg, Germany from where it derives its name and Belgrade, Serbia in 1967.
3. Those first infected were exposed to Ugandan imported African green monkeys or their tissues while conducting research, as per the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 30 fell ill, and seven deaths were reported.
4. Cases have been reported in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda. In a 2004 outbreak in Angola, MVD killed 90% of the 252 infected.

Transmission of the disease

1. Like Ebola, the Marburg virus is transmitted to primates from bats which are considered natural hosts of the virus. Fruit bats infected with the virus do not show obvious signs of illness, but it can cause serious illness or death in humans.
2. It spreads among humans via direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected bats, or surfaces contaminated with fluids, like bed-sheets and clothes.
3. The disease can also spread during burial ceremonies if there is direct contact with the body of the deceased.
4. Both the Marburg and Ebola viruses belong to the Filoviridae family and the diseases caused by the two present clinical similarities.

Severity of the infection:

1. The virus takes between two and 21 days to incubate. As per WHO, the disease has an average fatality rate of 50%, which has varied from 24% to 88% in past outbreaks.
2. As per the CDC, a person infected with the virus experiences sudden illness with symptoms like high fever, severe headache and discomfort. Many develop severe hemorrhagic signs within seven days.
3. Symptoms include muscle aches, pains, severe watery diarrhoea, abdominal pain; cramping, nausea and vomiting can begin on the third day.
4. The appearance of patients at this phase has been described as showing “ghost-like” drawn features, deep-set eyes, expressionless faces, and extreme lethargy.

India’s defence exports target

The defence ministry’s target to raise India’s annual defence exports to $5 billion by 2024-25, from the $1.5 billion currently, was reiterated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the recently concluded Aero India 2023 in Bengaluru.

More about the news:

1. In the past few years, there has been a strong government push towards achieving self-reliance in defence, which is subsequently expected to increase India’s defence exports as well.
2. The defence ministry has brought in several new policies, such as earmarking 75 per cent of its defence capital budget for 2023-24 towards procurements from domestic sources.
3. Three positive indigenisation lists of 3,738 items, for which there would be an embargo on import beyond timelines specified against them.
4. Two defence industrial corridors are being set up in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, and there is an on-going simplification of processes for ease of doing business aimed at boosting defence exports.
5. India is in talks with several countries to export several of its indigenous big-ticket platforms, such as the Light Combat Aircraft Tejas and the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile made by BrahMos Aerospace Pvt Ltd, a joint venture between India and Russia.

Current status of export

1. As per government data, India’s defence export value till December 2022 had reached Rs 6,058crore and grown by 334 per cent in the past five years. They touched nearly Rs 13,000 crore in 2021-22.
2. This includes munitions list items under category 6 of Special Chemicals, Organisms, Materials, Equipment and Technologies (SCOMET), for which the Department of Defence Production (DDP) under the Ministry of Defence issues an authorisation.

Which defence equipment does India export?

1. The major defence items being exported are Personal Protective items, Offshore Patrol Vessels, ALH Helicopter, SU Avionics, Bharati Radio, Coastal Surveillance Systems, Kavach MoD II Launcher and FCS, among others.
2. In December last year, the government told Parliament that major items exported by India in the last three years include lightweight torpedoes, weapon locating radar, and fast patrol vessels.

What are the major defence platforms India is looking to export?

1. India is in talks with Argentina and Egypt, among other countries, to export its indigenous LCA Tejas.
2. The aircraft had in the past few years participated in several air shows, including at Singapore last year, as well as in Malaysia, Bahrain and Dubai, so it could be showcased to other countries.
3. The LCA Mk 2 has seen interest from nearly 16 countries and efforts are on to identify private production agencies to ramp up manufacturing of the jet.
4. India is looking to export the indigenous Advanced Light Helicopter to several countries—and has signed a contract with Mauritius for the export of one Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH Mk III) for Mauritius Police Force.
5. India is in talks with Guyana to export the Dornier 228 and fast patrol vessels and will aim at exporting the latest HTT-40, Light Utility Helicopters (LUH) and Light Combat Helicopter (LCH).
6. Last year, India signed a $375 million contract with the Philippines to export the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile. Defence officials had recently said that India is looking to export the weapon system and its lighter next generation version (BrahMos NG) to over 10 countries, including South Africa, Egypt, UAE, and Saudi Arabia.

 India, U.K agrees to make progress on trade pact

India and the U.K. have agreed to make further progress on the on-going negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) and also to swiftly organise the next bilateral Economic and Financial Dialogue soon.

More about the news:

1. At the conclusion of the U.K. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s India visit for the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting, the U.K.’s Treasury department said the Finance Minister held talks with Indian counterpart with a focus on deepening bilateral economic and financial ties.
2. Both sides agreed to make further progress on the U.K.-India Free Trade Agreement and deepen bilateral economic and financial ties.
3. U.K. Chancellor, also met with business leaders in Bengaluru and visited the offices of tech multinational Wipro which employs over 4,000 people in the U.K.
4. Both sides look forward to further collaboration between India and the U.K. as they continue to trade and create jobs – delivering on the government’s plan to grow the economy.

On low-middle income countries:

1. According to the U.K. government, it also underscored the need for bilateral official creditors and private sector to urgently help address low and middle-income country debt vulnerabilities in developing countries.
2. The Minister emphasised the importance of multilateral development banks boosting lending from their existing balance sheets and called on the G20 to fulfil its pledge to channel $100 billion of IMF Special Drawing Rights in support of developing countries.
3. The Indian Presidency issued a Chair’s statement which highlighted the continued need to fight inflation, and the importance of supply-side policies, especially those that increase labour supply, boost growth and alleviate price pressures.

Flashback:

1. Due to the establishment of the Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) in 2005 which can tackle trade and investment barriers on both sides and promote business linkage, both sides agreed to remove trade barriers as part of a roadmap to a Free Trade Agreement.
2. Total trade between India and UK amounted to around USD 13.11 Billion in 2021.
3. India has invested in many projects in the UK, which is their second-largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) behind the United States of America.

Olive Ridley turtles , Rushikulya river

Recently, experts reported that suitable climatic and beach conditions are the reasons for the early mass nesting of Olive Ridley turtles.

About Olive Ridley turtles:

• The Olive ridley turtles are the smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in the world.
• They are found to be inhabiting the warm waters of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans.
• They are carnivores and feed mainly on jellyfish, shrimp, snails, crabs, molluscs, and a variety of fish and their eggs.
• The males and females grow to the same size.
• These turtles, along with their cousin the Kemps ridley turtle, are best known for their unique mass nesting called Arribada, where thousands of females come together on the same beach to lay eggs.
• The coast of Orissa in India is the largest mass nesting site for the Olive-ridley, followed by the coasts of Mexico and Costa Rica.
• The species is recognized as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red list.
• They lie in Scheduled 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972
• They are in Appendix I of the CITES.

About Rushikulya river :

• It is one of the major rivers in Odisha and covers the entire catchment area in the districts of Kandhamal and Ganjam.
• The Rushikulya originates at an elevation of about 1000 meters from the Daringbadi hills of the Eastern Ghats.
• The tributaries of the Rushikulya River are Dhanei, Badanadi, and Baghua.
• It does not have any delta in its mouth region.
• This river is extremely rich in mineral wealth and some of the prime ones include-Lime stone, sand talc, grinding materials, black sand, and clay.
• This is one of the remote areas for mass nesting and is regarded as a site of Ridley Olive sea turtles.