Superintendent of Dibrugarh jail, housing Amritpal Singh, arrested for 'laxity'
The Dibrugarh Central Jail superintendent in Assam has been arrested for negligence after electronic devices were found in the possession of pro-Khalistani preacher Amritpal Singh and his aides. The official, Nipen Das, was arrested under Section 13(1) B of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Section 75 of the Assam Prisons Act. Several electronic gadgets, including smartphones, pen drives, and a spy-camera pen, were seized from the National Security Act (NSA) detainees in the prison last month.
List of seized gadgets and security measures
The jail official is currently detained at Dibrugarh Sadar Police Station. Other devices recovered from the detainees included a SIM card, a keypad phone, a TV remote with a keyboard, a Bluetooth headphone, and speakers. Singh and nine of his associates have been imprisoned in Dibrugarh since March 19, last year, when they were apprehended under the NSA from various regions of Punjab following a crackdown on the radical outfit Waris Punjab De.
Singh arrested last year
Singh, the chief of Waris Punjab De, was arrested on April 23 after a 36-day manhunt. The self-styled preacher had been eluding the Punjab Police since March, when the force launched a crackdown on the leader and his supporters. The events that led to Singh's arrest began in February, when hundreds of his supporters attacked a Punjab police station armed with swords and pistols, demanding the release of a jailed aide.
Singh managed to escape several times
On March 18, Punjab police set up roadblocks and deployed thousands of personnel in an attempt to apprehend him for his involvement in the police station raid. However, Singh managed to escape. The authorities then started a month-long manhunt, deploying thousands of paramilitary soldiers and suspending mobile internet connections in parts of Punjab. Singh was eventually apprehended in Rode village, Moga district, Punjab, at the village gurdwara.
Singh was apprehended under the NSA
Following his arrest, he was transferred to the Dibrugarh Central Jail. The jail is regarded as the most secure prison in the state and one of the oldest in northeast India. The British built it on 15.54 acres of land between 1859 and 1860. Officials informed PTI that it is one of the oldest and well-fortified prisons. Despite the credentials, security in and around the jail was increased once Waris Punjab De members were brought in.
Charges against Singh and his aides
Singh and his aides were charged in several criminal cases related to attempts to murder, attack on police personnel, spreading disharmony among groups, and attacks on police personnel, among others. He rose to fame for supporting the Khalistan movement, which calls for the creation of an independent Sikh homeland. He took over Waris Punjab De (Heirs of Punjab), an organization formed by actor and activist Deep Sidhu, after he died in a car accident in 2022.
