Days after a clash between the supporters of Khalistani preacher Amritpal Singh and the police at Punjab’s Ajnala police station, the Muktsar police Sunday, February 26, started learning ‘gatka’ (Sikh martial arts skills) from ‘nihangs’ at the district Police Lines here.
A video has been going viral on social media wherein a Punjab police official is seen learning the form of martial art from a Nihang Sikh.
After a clash between the supporters of Amritpal Singh & the police at Ajnala Police Station, The Muktsar Police started learning ‘gatka’ (Sikh martial arts skills) from ‘nihangs’ at the district Police Lines. pic.twitter.com/OxHtpjqjjK
— Gagandeep Singh (@Gagan4344) February 27, 2023
Speaking to The Tribune, Avtar Singh, DSP (Headquarters), Muktsar, said, “Two ‘nihangs’ were called to the district Police Lines to show their ‘gatka’ skills to the quick reaction team (QRT) and armed police. Nearly 250 policemen participated in this anti-riot drill, which will continue in future as well.”
Meanwhile, the news agency also quoted a retired police officer as saying, “It is good to hear that the police are learning ‘gatka’ skills in Muktsar. It will make them active and prepare to face any untoward situation in the field. Such drills are the need of the hour. Other districts too should follow this practice.”
Gatka is a traditional martial art discipline associated with the Sikh gurus. It instills sword and stick fighting abilities as well as self-control. Gatka is thought to have started when the 6th Sikh Guru Hargobind used ‘Kirpan’ for self-defense during the Mughal rule. It is a stick fighting style involving two or more participants which is a milder form of the more lethal Shastar Vidya. In Gatka, the sharp swords of Shastar Vidya have been replaced with wooden sticks (soti) and shields (farri). The weapons were made mandatory for everyone to employ for self-defense by the 10th Guru Gobind Singh. Gatka was earlier confined to gurudwaras, nagar kirtans and akharas, but now it finds presence in the sports category after the formation of the Gatka Federation of India (GFI) in 2008.
The Ajnala incident
In the aftermath of the Ajnala incident on February 24, where frenzied adherents of radical preacher Amritpal Singh stormed over barricades and attacked the Ajnala police station, the Punjab police have considered adopting this traditional technique. Police on duty had to defend themselves against attacks from Amritpal Singh’s extremist supporters, who were armed with lathis, swords, and even weapons.
#WATCH | Punjab: Supporters of ‘Waris Punjab De’ Chief Amritpal Singh break through police barricades with swords and guns outside Ajnala PS in Amritsar
— ANI (@ANI) February 23, 2023
They’ve gathered outside the PS in order to protest against the arrest of his (Amritpal Singh) close aide Lovepreet Toofan. pic.twitter.com/yhE8XkwYOO
The police were quick to give in and release Singh’s aide, Lovepreet Toofan, even though he was arrested a few days earlier on February 18 in connection to a kidnapping and assault case.
