Punjab: Pro-Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh still absconding, declared fugitive
Authorities in Punjab put the state on high alert after the Punjab Police proclaimed pro-Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh a fugitive, stating that he is still on the run and a statewide operation to nab him is underway. Reportedly, the police have so far arrested 78 members of his organization, the Waris Punjab De, and several others were also detained for interrogation, but Singh escaped.
Why does this story matter?
The Punjab Police intensified its operation to arrest the pro-Khalistani leader and his aides days after Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann met Union Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah on March 2. On Saturday, several of Singh's aides were arrested in Jalandhar and are reportedly being interrogated. Last year, Singh returned to India from Dubai after Waris Punjab De founder Deep Sidhu's death in an accident.
Punjab Police couldn't arrest Singh despite forming special squad
According to NDTV, a special squad of the Punjab Police from seven districts tracked the pro-Khalistani leader's convoy on Saturday when it was on its way to Jalandhar's Shahkot. However, they were unable to arrest him. Reportedly, the radical Sikh preacher, who claims to be a follower of terrorist Bhindranwale, managed to elude the police on a motorbike on Saturday evening.
Hope to arrest him soon: Jalandhar Commissioner Kuldeep Singh Chahal
Jalandhar Commissioner Kuldeep Singh Chahal stated that Singh had been designated a fugitive, his two cars had been seized, and gunmen apprehended. "We also checked if the firearms of his security escorts had been procured legally," Chahal said, adding that a manhunt was already launched to apprehend Singh. "We are hopeful that he will be arrested soon," Chahal added.
Police conducted searches at Singh's residence on Saturday
The Punjab Police had also conducted searches at Singh's residence for up to four hours on Saturday but did not find "anything illegal," said his father, Tarsem Singh, per ANI. He further claimed that the family had no knowledge about the pro-Khalistani leader's whereabouts and his activities. "Police should have arrested him before he left home," Tarsem told ANI.
Statewide operation launched; SMS, internet services suspended
On Saturday morning, over 50 police vehicles reportedly began chasing the Waris Punjab De chief and his aides in an attempt to detain them. However, cops couldn't reportedly find Singh so far, even as a statewide operation to arrest him is underway. Earlier on Saturday, Punjab's Home Affairs and Justice Department suspended SMS and mobile internet services in several districts until Sunday afternoon.
Who is Amritpal Singh?
Born in Punjab's Jallupur Khera village in 1993, Singh studied up to Class 12 and left India in 2012 to work in his uncle's transport company in Dubai. Singh became the Waris Punjab De chief last year after its former chief-founder, Sidhu, died in a car accident in February 2022. Singh had also been publicly making statements on secession from India and forming Khalistan.
