Amritpal Singh an ISI agent deployed to spread violence: Report
Pro-Khalistani leader and Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh is an Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agent who has been brought to spread violence in India by the Pakistani spy agency, officials in central intelligence agencies told Hindustan Times on Saturday. He reportedly continues to elude arrest even after the Punjab Police on Friday launched a crackdown to apprehend him and numerous members of his outfit.
Why does this story matter?
The move to arrest the pro-Khalistani leader and his aides came days after Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann's meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah on March 2. Earlier, several of Singh's aides were arrested in Jalandhar and are reportedly being interrogated at an undisclosed location. Last year, Singh returned to India from Dubai after Waris Punjab De founder Deep Sidhu's death in an accident.
Nearly 80 of Singh's supporters arrested
According to Hindustan Times, the Waris Punjab De chief continues to be on the run from the police, but at least 78 of his supporters were detained in a statewide operation. As per federal intelligence officials, this move came on the back of a tip-off that the group might be plotting attacks in Delhi and carrying out a radicalization drive across the state.
Official reveals 'why' ISI would spend money on Singh
"Amritpal Singh, a non-resident Indian who worked as a truck driver in Dubai, is an ISI agent who came in touch with Pakistani spy agency while living in the UAE," an intelligence officer told HT. "There was an understanding that the ISI will spend money and by bringing the Sikhs behind him in the name of Khalistan, he would have a say in Punjab."
Know about Punjab Police's pursuit of Singh
On Saturday morning, over 50 police vehicles reportedly started chasing the Waris Punjab De chief and his aides in an attempt to detain them after the Punjab Police traced the separatist leader's last location in Shahkot, Jalandhar. Furthermore, numerous supporters of Singh took to social media claiming the police were after them. However, cops couldn't reportedly find Singh, and the statewide operation is ongoing.
SMS, internet services suspended in parts of Punjab
Punjab's Home Affairs and Justice Department also suspended SMS and mobile internet services. "All mobile internet services, all SMS services (except banking and mobile recharge), and all dongle services provided on mobile networks, except the voice call, in the territorial jurisdiction of Punjab shall be suspended from 18th March (12:00 hours) to 19th March (12:00 hours) in the interest of public safety," it stated.
Clash between Singh's supporters and Punjab Police in Ajnala
Last month, armed with guns, swords, and other sharp weapons, hundreds of Singh's supporters clashed with police personnel in Amritsar's Ajnala. The pro-Khalistani leader and his supporters allegedly stormed into the Ajnala Police Station and camped there till the police "assured" that Singh's close aid Lovepreet Singh Tufan, detained on charges including kidnapping and theft, would be released.
