Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Apr 23: After chasing him for 37 days that took the Punjab police through 10 cities and arrest of nine of the his close aides, the police finally succeeded in nabbing the fugitive Khalistani preacher and ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief Amritpal Singh on Sunday morning.
The 29-year old separatist leader who has been on the run since March 18, was arrested under the National Security Act (NSA) outside a Gurudwara in Rodewal village in Moga district around 6.45 A.M. and was immediately sent to the central jail in Dibrugarh in Assam where his arrested aides are already lodged.
Confirming the arrest, Punjab Police asked people to maintain peace and not spread fake news. “Amritpal Singh is arrested in Moga, Punjab. Further details will be shared by Punjab Police. Urge citizens to maintain peace and harmony, Don’t share any fake news, always verify and share,” police tweeted.
Police issued the statement in view of the claims made earlier that Amritpal Singh himself had informed the police about his presence in the village and his plan to “surrender” on Sunday morning.
‘Waris Punjab De’ chief Amritpal Singh addressed a gathering on Sunday morning in Rodewal Gurudwara. “Amritpal Singh came to the Rodewal Gurudwara on Saturday night. He himself informed the police about his presence and that he will surrender this morning at 7 am,” claimed Singh Sahib Giani Jasbir Singh Rode of Rodewal Gurdwara in Moga.
Police said 29-year-old surrendered at a Gurudwara in Rode village in Moga district. “We had special inputs that Amritpal Singh was present in Rode village, he was surrounded and had no chance to escape,” Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Headquarters Sukhchain Singh Gill said.
“Amritpal was arrested today at around 6.45 a.m. from Rode village in Moga district, following a special operation carried out in the past 35 days. Rode is the native village of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, the militant leader who was killed in 1984,” Gill said.
“… NSA warrants were issued against Amritpal Singh, which has been executed today morning. Amritpal has been arrested by Police at around 6:45 in the morning (April 23) at Rode village in Moga district. Further law will take its own course,” said Mr. Gill at a press conference later.
Gill said Amritpal was absconding for around one month. “A special operation was launched by Amritsar Police and the Intelligence wing of Punjab police to nab him. He was located in Rode village based on operational inputs received by the police. The village was then surrounded. He was inside a Gurdwara, the police, however, didn’t enter the Gurdwara to maintain its sanctity… Amritpal knew he couldn’t escape, he was then arrested and has been sent to Dibrugarh (Assam) under NSA,” Gill said.
Rejecting reports about Amritpal’s surrender, Gill said “Amritpal Singh was arrested based on operational inputs. There was no escape route left for him. He was arrested.” Pictures of the radical preacher while being taken into custody have surfaced on social media. He can be seen a wearing traditional white robe.
Amritpal Singh, who the government describes as a Khalistani-Pakistan agent, has been active in Punjab for the past few years and is often seen escorted by armed supporters. He claims to be a follower of the Khalistani separatist and terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and is known as “Bhindranwale 2.0” among his supporters.
Punjab Police had launched a crackdown on Amritpal Singh and members of his outfit ‘Waris Punjab De’ on March 18, a month after his supporters stormed a police station in Ajnala. In February, Amritpal Singh and his supporters, some of them brandishing swords and guns, broke through barricades and barged into the Ajnala Police Station on the outskirts of Amritsar city, and clashed with police for the release of one of his aides.
The action against him was a coordinated effort between Aam Aadmi Party-ruled Punjab, the Centre, and BJP-governed Assam, say officials. Sources say Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had discussed the plan to arrest Amritpal Singh with Home Minister Amit Shah in a meeting on March 2.
He and his associates were booked under several criminal cases related to spreading disharmony among classes, attempt to murder, attack on police personnel and creating obstructions in the lawful discharge of duty by public servants.
Intelligence agencies say Amritpal Singh has been sourcing weapons from Pakistan through its spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence and trying to divide Punjab on communal lines. Amritpal Singh had been allegedly leading young people towards “gun culture.”
Papalpreet Singh, a close aide of Amritpal Singh, was taken to Assam’s Dibrugarh Central Jail on April 11 after he was arrested. Associates of Amritpal Singh were shifted out of Punjab after Central Intelligence agencies raised concerns over possible jailbreak and repeat of the Ajnala incident on March 11.
Two more aides of ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief Amritpal Singh were arrested at Mohali in Punjab, in a joint operation by Punjab and Delhi Police on April 18. On April 15, Punjab Police arrested his close aide Joga Singh from Sirhind in the Fatehgarh Sahib district.
The radical leader had been declared a “fugitive” while he was on the run earlier in March. “Waris Punjab De’ chief Amritpal Singh has been declared a fugitive. His two cars were seized and gunmen nabbed. We also checked if the firearms of his security escorts had been procured legally. A case has been registered. Punjab Police have launched a manhunt for Amritpal Singh and we are hopeful that he will be arrested soon. A total of 78 people have been arrested so far and further searches and raids are underway,” police had said earlier.
The crackdown started almost over three weeks after Amritpal’s supporters stormed Ajnala police station in Amritsar on February 23, demanding the release of one of his aides, Lovepreet Toofan.
Amritpal Singh had managed to hoodwink the police on two occasions – in Jalandhar on March 18 by switching vehicles and then again on March 28 in Hoshiarpur when he returned to Punjab along with his key associate Papalpreet Singh. Papalpreet, who is considered to be Amritpal Singh’s mentor and who has allegedly been in contact with Pakistan’s ISI, has been arrested.
The separatist and his associates are facing several criminal charges, including an attempt to murder and attacking police personnel. Despite being sighted in several CCTV footage and photos with changed appearances at many places, including Patiala, Kurukshetra, and Delhi, Amritpal Singh continued to stay out of the police fishnet.
While on the run, two videos and one audio clip of Amritpal surfaced on social media. In one of his two videos, which surfaced on March 30, Amritpal Singh asserted that he was not a fugitive and would soon appear. The separatist had claimed that he was not like those who would flee the country.
Ahead of Baisakhi, which was celebrated on April 14, there were rumours that Amritpal Singh may surrender at Takht Damdama Sahib gurudwara in Bathinda during the celebration. But that did not happen. Tight security arrangements during the Baisakhi festival at Talwandi Sabo, however, earned the wrath of Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh who accused the Punjab government of trying to create panic. Police claimed that security was deployed for the convenience and safety of devotees.
The Jathedar of Akal Takht (the highest temporal seat of Sikhs) asked the fugitive preacher to cooperate with the police and surrender. The appeal, however, fell on deaf ears. The search for the fugitive was then widened – and police searched his probable hideouts in Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. Wanted posters were put up at several railway stations announcing that an appropriate reward will be given to anyone who provides credible information about Amritpal Singh’s whereabouts.
On April 15, police managed to arrest Amritpal’s close aide Joga Singh from Sirhind in Fatehgarh Sahib. According to them, Joga Singh was in direct contact with Amritpal and had even arranged a shelter and vehicles for him in Uttar Pradesh’s Pilibhit. It was Joga Singh who brought Amritpal and his aide Papalpreet back to Punjab on March 28.
Amritpal’s rise to fame or notoriety started last year when was anointed as the head of the ‘Waris Punjab De’, a social organisation established by actor-turned-activist Deep Sidhu who actively participated in the year-long farmers’ agitation against the three farm laws drafted by the Centre and raised Punjab-centric issues. He died in a road accident in February last year.
Nine of Amritpal’s aides including Daljit Singh Kalsi, Papalpreet Singh, Kulwant Singh Dhaliwal, Varinder Singh Johal, Gurmeet Singh Bukkanwala, Harjit Singh, Bhagwant Singh, Basant Singh and Gurinderpal Singh Aujla have been arrested under the NSA and currently lodged in the Dibrugarh central jail.
Amritpal has been facing cases under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) regarding spreading disharmony among classes, attempt to murder, attack on police personnel and creating obstructions in the lawful discharge of duty by public servants. The year-old AAP government in Punjab has been facing flak over the poor law and order situation and is being seen on the back foot after the police failed to arrest Amritpal following the crackdown against him and all those trying to disturb the law and order in the State.