Few weeks back, Khalistani extremist and ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief Amritpal Singh, who stormed with thousands of his supporters at Ajnala police station in Punjab’s Amritsar carrying weapons, is now on a run finding a safe place for him.
While, few reports initially claimed that he was arrested by the Punjab police, however, there is no official confirmation by the police about his arrest. And the manhunt is still on.
The Punjab Police on March 20 said that Khalistani extremist Amritpal Singh is still on the run despite the massive manhunt launched to nab him. Amritpal Singh is absconding since March 18 after the police launched a crackdown on his Waris Punjab De and arrested 112 members of the organisation.
In a late-night operation on March 19, Police arrested Harpreet Singh, a close aide of Amritpal Singh. Harpreet is not only Amritpal’s driver but used to live with him most of the time.
The police official said the cops carried out a late-night operation to arrest Amritpal but he (Amritpal) managed to escape minutes before the police reached his hideout. The police official has said that both Amritpal and Harpreet fled from the police on a motorcycle in Shahkot town by abandoning their vehicle, also leaving behind three of their associates, including Amritpal’s uncle Harjit Pal Singh. Harjit Pal has also been arrested.
“We may shift him to the joint interrogation centre at Amritsar and he may be a good source of information on Amritpal’s links with the ISI and other Khalistani terrorists living in Pakistan and other countries”, the senior police official added.
The Punjab Government has also imposed NSA on Amritpal Singh’s uncle & the state is likely to shift him from Punjab to Dibrugarh.
“Punjab Police is acting within the law. Amritpal Singh is still absconding and not yet arrested,” IGP Sukhchain Gill said in a video message on March 19. He also requested all citizens to maintain peace and harmony and not panic. “Don’t believe the rumours and false news. Request all citizens to maintain peace and harmony and not panic,” he said.
According to sources, various security agencies suggest that Amritpal, who returned from Dubai last year allegedly at the behest of Pakistan’s ISI and Khalistan sympathisers residing overseas, was engaged in brainwashing youths to become “khadkoos” or human bombs.
During the ongoing investigation, several arms and ammunition were seized. It is also suspected that weapons were illegally being stockpiled in several de-addiction centres run by the ‘Waris Panjab De’ and a gurdwara in Amritsar.
According to reports, the youths who were admitted to the de-addiction centres used to be indoctrinated and pushed towards the “gun culture”. The youths were brainwashed to choose the path of slain terrorist Dilawar Singh, who acted as a human bomb and killed former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh.
“Amritpal Singh is 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. He was told to motivate naive young Sikhs in name of religion. 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,” said a central intelligence officer.
Reportedly, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has asked the chiefs of the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) to be alert in the border areas as there is a possibility that Amritpal Singh Sandhu might cross over the International Border in Punjab or via the India-Nepal border.
4 close aides of Amritpal Singh arrested
Amid the massive crackdown against the Khalistani sympathisers in Punjab, 4 arrested close aides of Amritpal Singh were brought to Assam from Punjab on March 19. The arrested Khalistani radical sympathisers were put into the Dibrugarh central jail in upper Assam. Security has been tightened in Dibrugarh central jail after shifting the four Khalistani sympathisers.
Police sources said the Khalistanis brought to Dibrugarh were Daljit Singh Kalsi, Bhagwant Singh, Gurmeet Singh and Pradhanmantri Bajeka.
A 27-member team of Punjab police headed by an inspector general-rank officer accompanied the four accused to Dibrugarh. The arrested Khalistani sympathisers were brought to Jorhat on a special flight. Later they were brought to Dibrugarh central jail amid heavy security by road.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who was in New Delhi on March 19, told reporters that Assam police would provide security to the accused in the jail.
Amritpal is misleading Punjab, says Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu
Congress MP from Ludhiana Ravneet Singh took an indirect dig at Amritpal and said “if Amritpal was a true Sikh of Guru, he would not have needed to leave the field and run away. He is running around like a vulture.
The reality of Amritpal has come in front of the people. Amritpal’s aim was to mislead the youth. When the police followed him, he was running from street to street. More truth of Amritpal Singh will come in front of the people”, Bittu said.
Sidhu Moosewala Death Anniversary
On March 19, thousands of supoorters of Sidhu Moosewal gathered for his death anniversary despite Section 144 imposed in the state due to an ongoing manhunt for pro-Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh.
Slogans of ‘Punjab Sarkar Murdabad’, ‘BJP Murdabad’ ‘Khalistan Zindabad‘ were raised during the event.
Addressing the gathering, Sidhu’s father Balkaur Singh lashed out at Aam Aadmi Party led Punjab Government over the interviews given by gangster Lawrence Bishnoi allegedly from inside the prison to a news channel.
Balkaur Singh also praising Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh Government for the law and order situation in the state, he said, “The Lok Sabha elections are coming. You will be compelled to give votes in the name of Yogi. You will say UP is clean. What has happened to us?”
He claimed several politicians and activists were against Moosewala.
After shabad kirtan, Sidhu’s mother came on stage and gave a speech. She stated that she wants to know only one thing, whether the country is free or is it a slave; to this the crowd replied saying that country is a slave and later, people were heard shouting slogans of ‘Khalistan Zindabad.’
Twitter handle of Sangrur MP Simranjit Mann withheld in India
The pro-Khalistan MP and Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) chief Simranjit Singh Mann’s Twitter account was withheld in India in response to a legal demand. Mann is the Lok Sabha MP from Sangrur.
He first made headlines after resigning from the Indian Police Service, protesting against Operation Bluestar in June 1984. It is to be noted that Deep Sidhu were deeply influenced by Simranjit Singh Maan’s ideology.
Amidst crackdown against Amritpal, Khalistanis attacked Indian High Commission in London and pull down the Tricolour
On March 19, a group of Khalistan supporters demonstrated outside the Indian High Commission in the United Kingdom (UK), sloganeering with flags and posters of separatist leader and Waris Punjab De Chief Amritpal Singh. The posters, with Singh’s photo, said: FreeAmritpalSingh, WeWantJustice, WeStandWithAmritpalSingh.
A man has been arrested on suspicion of violent disorder after crowds gathered and a window was smashed at the Indian High Commission in London.
Footage posted on social media showed a man detaching the Indian flag from the first-floor balcony of the building while a crowd of people below waving bright yellow “Khalistan” banners appeared to encourage him. They also took down India’s national flag from the building that housed New Delhi’s diplomatic mission at Aldwych in central London.
The police came in to break up the protests. However, the agitators continued with their sloganeering, chanting, “Indian Government, shame, shame”.
Following the vandalism at the Indian High Commission, the UK High Commissioner to India, Alex Ellis, tweeted his condemnation of the events. He wrote, “I condemn the disgraceful acts today against the people and premises of the Indian High Commission – totally unacceptable.”
British Deputy High Commissioner Christina Scott was summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in view of the incident as High Commissioner Alex Ellis was out of Delhi, sources said. It sought immediate steps to identify, arrest and prosecute those involved in today’s incident.
“The senior-most UK diplomat in New Delhi was summoned late evening today to convey India’s strong protest at the actions taken by separatist and extremist elements against the Indian High Commission in London earlier in the day,” the MEA said.
The MEA said the diplomat was reminded of the basic obligations of the UK Government under the 1961 Vienna Convention.
The High Commission of India in London came under attacks from pro-Khalistan Sikh activists in the past too. Reportedly, there are instances where such pro-Pakistani protesters joined to vandalise the “India House” to protest against the August 5, 2019 move by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Government to strip Jammu and Kashmir of its special status and to split the state into two Union Territories.
Similar violent protests by the Khalistanis were also seen in front of the High Commission of India in London during the August 2020 – December 2021 agitation by the farmers against the erstwhile agricultural laws introduced by the Modi Government.
The Government of India, in the past, has emphasised the need for the UK Government to take action against the Khalistani extremist groups. Such incidents not only violate international norms but also threaten the safety and security of diplomatic personnel.
Also Read: https://organiser.org/2023/03/01/162266/bharat/combatting-khalistanis-movement-in-india/
