"This is not at all a good trend," says former Punjab police chief K.P.S. Gill. But in his opinion it is all a predictable consequence of the fact that successive governments at Chandigarh and Delhi "have been overly lenient in dealing with remnant Khalistani elements."

The retired super cop insists that the only way out is for the Centre and the state to take tough action. "Sikhs have never been known to display a mob mentality and if tackled in time, it will not at all be difficult to control the problem," he said, suggesting in remedy, "a few no-nonsense lathicharges to dispel any doubts that the government knows its business."

Failing the firm hand that Mr Gill is advocating Punjab could very easily slide right back into the nightmarish Eighties.

http://www.asianage.com/presentation/leftnavigation/opinion/op-ed/return-of-the-khalistanis.aspx