Khalistani sympathiser and Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh arrested; lodged in Assam jail

After evading the police for over a month since March 18, Amritpal Singh who was arrested by the Punjab Police in Moga early morning today, was brought to Dibrugarh in

Khalistani sympathiser and Waris Punjab De chief, Amritpal Singh was finally arrested today and brought to Dibrugarh Central jail in Assam this afternoon amid high security. After evading the police for over a month since March 18, Amritpal Singh who was arrested by the Punjab Police in Moga early morning today, was brought to Dibrugarh in a special flight.

Worth mentioning that 9 close aides of Amritpal Singh are already lodged at the same jail under the National Security Act. They are–Harjeet Singh (Amritpal’s uncle), Daljit Singh Kalsi, Varinder Singh Johal, Papalpreet Singh, Gurmeet Singh Bukkanwala, Kulwant Singh Dhaliwal, Basant Singh, Bhagwant Singh and Gurinderpal Singh Aujla.

Meanwhile, security arrangements have been tightened in the jail premises.

Earlier, the Punjab police issued a lookout circular (LOC) and non-bailable warrant (NBW) against the ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief after he had been on the run since March 18 when he had managed to give the police a slip and evade arrest.

The crackdown against Amritpal came almost over three weeks after the Khalistan sympathizer and his supporters stormed Ajnala police station in Amritsar on February 23, demanding the release of one of his aides, Lovepreet Toofan.

Who is Amritpal Singh?

30 year old Amritpal Singh who hails from Jallupur village in Punjab’s Amritsar is a follower of the slain Sikh militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale in Punjab.

Until February 2022, Amritpal was just another Punjabi man influenced by the Western lifestyle who didn’t even wear a turban. He was in Dubai where he was running a transportation company along with his uncle and spent time on social media.
However things changed when actor and political activist Deep Sidhu who was the founder of Waris Punjab De (a radical group originated in Punjab) died in a road accident in February last year.
Amritpal Singh, who was observing the situation from Dubai returned to India to fill the void left by Sidhu’s death and declared himself the new chief of Waris De Punjab.

What is Waris Punjab De?

Amritpal’s radical outfit Waris Punjab De has been wreaking havoc in various parts of Punjab for several years and is one of the outfits spreading Khalistani ideology in the state. Members of Waris Punjab De have been known to frequently clash with the police and have been linked to a variety of illegal activities.
The outfit was founded by late Deep Sidhu in 2021. After Deep’s death, and Khalistan sympathizer Amritpal Singh took over Waris Punjab De, He made the decision to reshape the organisation in line with the beliefs of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale who was an Indian militant and is described as the face of the Khalistan movement.

What is the Khalistan movement?

The Khalistan movement seeks to establish a distinct, independent Sikh state in modern-day Punjab (both India and Pakistan). Over the years, it has survived in various forms, in various places and amongst different populations. Following Operation Blue Star (1984) and Operation Black Thunder (1986 and 1988), the movement was put down in India, but it still inspires sympathy and support among certain Sikhs, particularly in the Sikh diaspora in nations like Canada, the UK, and Australia.

When did the movement start and why?

The movement’s origins can be seen in India’s independence and its religion Partition. Millions of people fled the Punjab province, which was split between India and Pakistan, as a result of some of the worst intergroup violence: Muslims in the east fled west, while Sikhs and Hindus stuck in Pakistan’s west hurried to the east.

The historic Sikh Empire’s capital, Lahore, as well as sacred Sikh landmarks like Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Sikhism’s founder Guru Nanak, moved to Pakistan. While the majority of Sikhs ended up in India, they were a tiny minority there, making up only around 2% of the population.

Around the time of Independence, the Punjabi Suba Movement, which aimed to establish a state that spoke Punjabi, marked the beginning of the political struggle for greater autonomy. The States Reorganisation Commission rejected this petition in its 1955 report, but after years of opposition, the state of Punjab was reorganised in 1966 to take into account the Punjabi Suba demand.

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