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Akal Takht jathedar asks Amritpal to surrender
Akal Takht acting jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh on Saturday asked ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief Amritpal Singh, who is on the run, to surrender and cooperate with the police in probe.
Akal Takht acting jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh on Saturday asked ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief Amritpal Singh, who is on the run, to surrender and cooperate with the police in probe.
“If Amritpal is out (of police net), then I will ask him to present (before police) and cooperate with (police) investigation,” said the jathedar.
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The jathedar’s statement came a day after Punjab Police intelligence chief inspector general Jaskaran Singh held a closed-door meeting with him at his residence on Friday.
According to the police, radical leader Amritpal and his aide Papalpreet are on the run since March 18 when cops launched a crackdown on Waris Punjab De, a pro-Khalistan organisation.
In a video circulated by social media handles of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Saturday, the jathedar said: “The biggest question in the mind of every Sikh living across the world is how Amritpal could not be arrested despite presence of heavy police force. It raises questions over the ability of the police. If Amritpal has been arrested, then the police should say so.”
“If Amritpal is not in custody, he should present himself and ask the police what they want to know from him. He should ask the police what they want to do. The police should also keep this in mind that our youngsters have not committed heinous offences as being projected in the media,” the jathedar said.
The pro-Khalistan leader gave police the slip and escaped their dragnet when his cavalcade was intercepted near Mehatpur in Jalandhar district. Punjab Police have slapped the strictest National Security Act against him and some of his associates.
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About the Panthic gathering called on March 27 at the Akal Takht, the jathedar said: “Representatives of political parties will not attend the meeting. We have invited selected persons who are heads of religious bodies, sects and Nihang organisations, besides Sikh intellectuals, scholars and lawyers. We want to discuss about the measures to be taken to counter the crackdown against Sikh youths and the narrative built against the Sikhs. We will seek suggestions in the meeting.”
The jathedar also took strong note of blocking of social media handles of some persons, terming it a violation of the freedom of speech and expression. “The Punjab government should think over it. Detaining youths for merely making a comment and sharing something on the social media and ruining their career is not fair,” he added.
