On March 24, BJP leader and Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party-led Punjab Government was not serious about arresting Khalistani fugitive and ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief Amritpal Singh.
He claimed that Haryana Police informed Punjab Police about Amritpal Singh’s whereabouts but it took them one-and-a-half days to reach Shahabad, Haryana. He said, “I do not think the Punjab government is serious about arresting Amritpal. They have been lax in this matter. They were searching in Jalandhar with all their personnel while he was sitting here in Shahabad and having a meal at a relative’s house.”
“By the time we received information, he had fled Shahabad. However, we informed the Punjab Police but they took one-and-a-half days to reach Shahabad. This clearly gives away the lethargic approach of the Punjab government in this matter,” he added.
Punjab Police has expressed doubts about Amritpal Singh entering Delhi border using any vehicle other than a bus. Since receiving the input, Delhi Police have been on the alert and are trying to track Amritpal’s movements. Furthermore, an alert has also been issued in Uttarakhand’s Dehradun, Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar districts as there is a possibility of Amritpal Singh entering the state.
Uttarakhand’s Director General of Police (DGP) Ashok Kumar, said, “An alert has been issued in Dehradun, Haridwar, and Udham Singh Nagar districts of the state as it is possible that the pro-Khalistan leader might enter the state,” in an interview with ANI. He added that Uttarakhand Police were conducting intensive checking on the border of all three districts and other areas.
On March 23, Punjab’s Inspector General of Police (IGP), Headquarters, Sukhchain Singh Gill, said that a total of 207 persons had been arrested for disturbing peace and harmony in the state. “Police teams are doing a thorough screening of all the arrested persons and soon, they will be released from police custody,” he said.
“We arrested Baljeet Kaur with the help of Haryana Police. She disclosed during interrogation that on the night of March 19, both Papalpreet Singh and Amritpal had put up at her place. She said she had Papalpreet for more than the last couple of years and he had stayed at her house on several occasions,” the IGP said.
He said that, during the ongoing operation, Khanna Police have also another Amritpal’s close associate, identified as Tejinder Singh Gill alias Gorkha Baba (42) of village Mangewal in Khanna. Police teams have also recovered some incriminating material, including holograms of Anandpur Khalsa Fauj (AKF) and weapon training videos, from his possession.
“On March 22, an FIR was registered under sections 188 and 336 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and section 27 of the Arms Act at Police Station Malaud in Khanna,” the IGP said.
Furthermore, the central intelligence agencies revealed that Amritpal Singh kept his wife in captivity, beat her up, and was associated with several other women. He had a lavish lifestyle in Dubai and did not follow Sikh tenets, reports said, adding that he was not an Amritdhari Sikh.
[with inputs from ANI]
