Old rifts between Sikhs and the Indian government are breaking up

It all started in Ajnala in February when a mob of angry men stormed a police station in the small Amritsar suburb. Led by radical preacher Amritpal Singh Sandhu, armed with swords and pistols, they demanded the release of one Lovesingh Toofa. Toofa is one of radical preacher Singh's closest associates and, according to his followers, is being unlawfully detained. The local police were defeated by the mob and acceded to the demands. She could also not take action against Singh because he carried the holy book of the Sikhs with him, reports the "Guardian".

Amritsar, in the northern Indian state of Punjab, is the capital of the Sikhs, a minority group in Hindu-majority India. In the Punjab, however, they make up the majority at almost 58 percent.

There are also radical forces among them who are calling for secession from India: "Khalistan" is to be called an independent Sikh state. And Singh is one of the loudest supporters of this demand. With radical slogans, he quickly built up a large following that has long been a thorn in the side of the Indian authorities.

The incident at the police station triggered one of the largest search operations in India's recent history: Last Saturday, around three weeks after the violent attack, the police announced a sharp action. The internet was temporarily blocked across the board, thousands of paramilitaries were sent to the state to search for Singh - so far without success, because even days after the start of the campaign there is no trace of the young leader.