Fugitive Amritpal Singh arrested after 37 days, surrendered to Punjab cops

www.mangaloretoday.com

New Delhi, April 23, 2023: Amritpal Singh, a fugitive preacher who has been on the run since March 18, today surrendered before Punjab police in Moga. He has been arrested by the police.

Confirming the arrest, Punjab Police asked people to maintain peace and not spread fake news. "Amritpal Singh arrested in Moga, Punjab. Further details will be shared by Punjab Police. Urge citizens to maintain peace and harmony, Don’t share any fake news, always verify and share," police tweeted.

Police said that 29-year-old surrendered at a gurdwara in Rode village in Moga district. "We had special inputs that Amritpal Singh was present in Rode village, he was surrounded and had no chance to escape," said IG Punjab Police Sukhchain Singh Gill.

Pictures of the radical preacher while being taken into custody have surfaced on social media. He can be seen a wearing traditional white robe.

Amritpal Singh is being shifted to Assam’s Dibrugarh, where eight of his aides are already being held under the National Security Act, which allows detention up to a year without any charge.

Amritpal Singh, who the government describes as a Khalistani-Pakistan agent, has been active in Punjab for the past few years and is often seen escorted by armed supporters. He claims to be a follower of the Khalistani separatist and terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and is known as "Bhindranwale 2.0" among his supporters.

Punjab Police had launched a crackdown on Amritpal Singh and members of his outfit ’Waris Punjab De’ on March 18, a month after his supporters stormed a police station in Ajnala.

In February, Amritpal Singh and his supporters, some of them brandishing swords and guns, broke through barricades and barged into the Ajnala Police Station on the outskirts of Amritsar city, and clashed with police for the release of one of his aides.

The action against him was a coordinated effort between Aam Aadmi Party-ruled Punjab, the Centre, and BJP-governed Assam, say officials. Sources say Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had discussed the plan to arrest Amritpal Singh with Home Minister Amit Shah in a meeting on March 2.

He and his associates were booked under several criminal cases related to spreading disharmony among classes, attempt to murder, attack on police personnel and creating obstructions in the lawful discharge of duty by public servants.

Intelligence agencies say Amritpal Singh has been sourcing weapons from Pakistan through its spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence and trying to divide Punjab on communal lines. Amritpal Singh had been allegedly leading young people towards "gun culture".