Punjab: In a recent viral video, Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh was heard threatening Union Home Minister Amit Shah. He said that Home Minister would have the same fate as former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi if he tried to stop the Khalistani movement. He said, “Indira tried to deal with us in her own way; what happened? Now if Home Minister wants to fulfil his desire, let him try this.”
Amritpal Singh’s threat came in response to Amit Shah’s statements about the Government keeping a close watch on the Khalistani supporters and that the Government will not let the Khalistanis flourish. He said, “We are asking for our right, not someone else. For over 500 years, our forefathers shed their blood on this land. So many people made sacrifices. We are claimants of this land. Nobody can snatch our claim. Neither Indira could remove it, nor could Modi or Amit Shah remove it. Let the armies from all over the world come. We will die, but we will not give up our claim.”
He further questioned Amit Shah on whether the Indian Government will act against those who talk of a ‘Hindu Rashtra’ and said, “tell me, when did Prime Minister and Home Minister say they would take action against those who talk about Hindu Rashtra? There is a difference between the inspiration of Hindus and Sikhs. While Hindus can speak for themselves, Sikhs cannot.”
Amritpal Singh and Waris Punjab De
Amritpal Singh is the current chief of (Late) Deep Sidhu’s organisation’ Waris Punjab De’, which he took over in September 2022. Since taking over Sidhu’s organisation, Amritpal Singh has witnessed a steep rise in popularity with his anti-Government, pro-Khalistani stance and conspiracy theories.
He continues to dispute Sidhu’s death, claiming that the “Indian government killed him (Deep Sidhu)”, even though his girlfriend, Reena Rai, released her statement stating that Sidhu’s overspeeding caused the accident.
Amritpal Singh and Aides Face Arrest
Amritpal Singh and five aides have been charged with kidnapping, theft, rioting, causing injury and unlawful assembly based on a complaint filed by his former aide, Varinder Singh. The complainant has alleged that Amritpal Singh and his armed men kidnapped and beat him up. The police have arrested one accused and continue to conduct raids for rest.
Amit Shah’s statement and the police action against the Khalistanis have irked Amritpal Singh and his supporters. He announced an open war against the Indian Government and said, “Yesterday, one of our men was arrested and sent to a day’s remand. I want to tell the administration that they should not compel us to go beyond the limit. We will sit together next Wednesday to decide our future course of action.”
He continued, “I want to tell the Government that if they want to arrest me, they should tell me the place. While on one hand, the Government is saying they are searching for me, on the other, they know where I was, then why they were telling lies that they were conducting raids.”
Dubbed Bhindranwale 2.0
Amritpal Singh’s fascination with Khalistani leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale is no secret. In an interview with ThePrint, he called Bhindranwale an “inspiration” and continued to state, “We wanted to celebrate Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale as a youth icon. We wanted to give the state a message that no matter how evil they portray him as he will always be our hero.”
Often dubbed Bhindranwale 2.0, Amritpal Singh has said, “Bhindranwale is my inspiration. I will walk the path shown by him. I want to be like him because that’s what every Sikh wants, but I am not copying him. I am not even equal to dust of his feet.”
