Punjab: Amritpal Singh Arrested In Moga After Being On The Run For A Month

Fugitive Khalistan supporter Amritpal Singh was arrested from Punjab's Moga on Sunday, said Punjab Police. 

In a tweet, the Punjab Police said Amritpal has been arrested and urged the public to not share fake news.

Amritpal's arrest comes around a month after the Punjab Police began a crackdown on him and his radical organisation Waris Punjab De (WPD). He is understood to have been arrested from Rode village in Moga. 

Notably, slain Khalistani terrorist leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who led the movement till the Operation Blue Star in 1984, hailed from Rode village and Amritpal was last year anointed the head of Waris Punjab De in this village. Prior to going on the run, Amritpal was copying Bhindranwale in his appearance and mannerisms to raise support for Khalistan.

A senior police official told PTI that Amritpal Singh has been arrested by the Punjab Police and would be sent to Assam's Dibrugarh jail.

"He is an NSA subject and will be taken to Dibrugarh," the officer said, referring to the stringent National Security Act (NSA). 

Amritapl was arrested for Rodewal Gurudwara in Rode village, reported PTI. It also shared the photo of the gurdwara.

Following his arrest, a video of Amritpal speaking at the gurdwara in Rode also surfaced.

“It is the birth place of Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. This is the place where my 'dastar bandi' (turban tying) ceremony was held. We are standing at life's critical juncture. During the past one month whatever took place, you have seen that all,” he said in the video.              

“A month back, 'excesses' were unleashed by the government against Sikhs. Had it been only the question of (my) arrest, then perhaps there were many ways of arrest and with which, I would have cooperated,” he could be heard saying in the video.    

In the video, Amritpal Singh is also heard saying that the “bunch of lies” created against him will be demolished by the Almighty.

Amritpal and WPD memebers are named in a number of cases. Waris Punjab De elements are accused in four criminal cases relating to spreading disharmony among classes, attempt to murder, attack on police personnel, and creating obstructions in lawful discharge of duties of public servants. An FIR dated February 24 also accused them of the attack on Ajnala Police Station.

In February, Amritpal and his supporters, some of them brandishing swords and guns, broke through barricades and barged into the Ajnala Police Station on the outskirts of the Amritsar city and clashed with police for the release of one of Amritpal's aide — Lovepreet Singh Toofan. The case was related to a complaint of a man at Ajnala Police Station in which he alleged that he had been kidnapped and beaten by the associates of Amritpal. An FIR was registered against Amritpal and six associates in the case.

Lately, Amritpal had emerged as the leading Khalistani voice in Punjab. Khalistan refers to the separate Sikh state that supporters of Khalistan seek to be carved out from India, including Punjab. The Khalistanis waged a bloody insurgency for decades in Punjab that ebbed in 1990s. 

Amritpal had styled himself after late Khalistani leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who was killed in Golden Temple in Amritsar in 1984. Often seen amid supporters with rifles and ammunition belts wrapped around their torso prior to going on the run, Amritpal tried to copy Bhindranwale. His visit along with rifle-wielding supporters to the Golden Temple last month brought back memories to the days decades back when Khalistani terrorists had taken over the complex under Bhindranwale. 

What are Amritpal and Waris Punjab De accused of? 

Amritpal and WPD memebers are named in a number of cases. WPD elements are accused in four criminal cases relating to spreading disharmony among classes, attempt to murder, attack on police personnel, and creating obstructions in lawful discharge of duties of public servants. An FIR dated February 24 also accused them of the attack on Ajnala Police Station.

Lately, Amritpal had emerged as the leading Khalistani voice in Punjab. Khalistan refers to the separate Sikh state that supporters of Khalistan seek to be carve out from India, including the state of Punjab. The Khalistanis waged a bloody insurgency for decades in Punjab that ebbed in 1990s. However, the cause continues to retain support in some pockets abroad, such as in Canada and United Kingdom. 

In February, Amritpal and his supporters, some of them brandishing swords and guns, broke through barricades and barged into the Ajnala Police Station on the outskirts of the Amritsar city and clashed with police for the release of one of Amritpal's aide — Lovepreet Singh Toofan. The case was related to a complaint of a man at Ajnala Police Station in which he alleged that he had been kidnapped and beaten by the associates of Amritpal. An FIR was registered against Amritpal and six associates in the case.

Prior to going on the run, Amritpal had styled himself after late Khalistani leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who was killed in Golden Temple in Amritsar in 1984. He was often seen amid supporters with rifles and ammunition belts wrapped around their torso. His visit along with rifle-wielding supporters to the Golden Temple last month brought back memories to the days decades back when Khalistani terrorists had taken over the complex under Bhindranwale. The then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had mounted Operation Blue Star to flush the terrorists out, leading to massive destruction of the complex and widespread Sikh anger. 

How Amritpal Singh evaded arrest so far

When Punjab Police mounted the crackdown on Amritpal Singh and his Waris Punjab De last month, it had surrounded him as well but he managed to slip past the police net. 

Earlier, NDTV reported that police personnel from seven district chased Amritpal and his associates and surrounded him at Mehatpur village in Jalandhar's Shahkot.

Later, PTI reported that that Amritpal was almost caught but he managed to give a slip to the approaching police team, which intercepted his cavalcade in Mehatpur village in Jalandhar district on March 18. Initially at the time of the beginning of the crackdown, there were reports of Amritpal being taken into custody, but it was soon clarified that those reports were incorrect and that he had slipped past the police net and had gone on the run.

Amritpal was soon declared as a fugitive and reports of his sightings in Punjab and Delhi surfaced. There was also a report that said that he could have escaped to neighbouring Nepal, a route often taken by criminal elements in India because of the porous and open border. Purported footage of him walking around in new look also surfaced. Photos showing possible new appearances of Amritpal also surfaced that showed him in casual attire without his signature turban, beard, or blue cloak.

The arrest of Amritpal caps over a month of dramatic developments in Punjab that include large-scale deployment of central paramilitary forces in Punjab, followed by a crackdown on Amritpal and Waris Punjab De.

(With PTI inputs)