The National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Punjab Police personnel conducted searches at the properties of jailed Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh’s relatives in Amritsar district on Friday as part of the probe into the attack on the Indian high commission in Canada by Khalistan supporters, officials said. Similar action was taken at the houses of a singer in Moga and a Mandi Board official in Mohali.
The case relates to a protest by pro-Khalistani supporters outside the Indian mission in Ottawa, Canada, on March 23, 2023. The NIA first information report (FIR) mentioned that the protesters “raised anti-India slogans, tied Khalistani flags on the boundary wall of the high commission and hurled two grenades inside the building”.
The NIA and Punjab Police teams turned up at a furniture shop, owned by Amritpal’s uncle Pargat Singh Sandhu in Rayya, which is near the MP’s native village of Jallupur Khera, at 7am. They searched the shop and the residence on its first floor for three hours. According to Charandeep Singh Bhinder, a key member of Amritpal’s team, Sandhu was not at home when the raid was conducted and the NIA took away a few mobile phones from the house.
He said the NIA also searched the houses of Amritpal’s sister at Butala village and other relatives who live at Chowk Mehta. Sandhu’s wife Amarjit Kaur was among the relatives taken to the police station in Beas for questioning. Kaur was quizzed for five hours before being released. The raid also included a property related to Amritpal’s relative at Sri Hargobindpur in Gurdaspur district. Similar action was taken in Samalsar town of Baghapurana sub-division of Moga district where the house of kavishar (folk singer) Makhan Singh Musafir was searched at around 6 am. Musafir was not present there. The central agency checked his gadgets and questioned the family members. The NIA team summoned Musafir to appear before its Chandigarh office on September 24. People familiar with the development said the NIA is probing Musafir in connection with foreign funding.
{{/usCountry}}He said the NIA also searched the houses of Amritpal’s sister at Butala village and other relatives who live at Chowk Mehta. Sandhu’s wife Amarjit Kaur was among the relatives taken to the police station in Beas for questioning. Kaur was quizzed for five hours before being released. The raid also included a property related to Amritpal’s relative at Sri Hargobindpur in Gurdaspur district. Similar action was taken in Samalsar town of Baghapurana sub-division of Moga district where the house of kavishar (folk singer) Makhan Singh Musafir was searched at around 6 am. Musafir was not present there. The central agency checked his gadgets and questioned the family members. The NIA team summoned Musafir to appear before its Chandigarh office on September 24. People familiar with the development said the NIA is probing Musafir in connection with foreign funding.
{{/usCountry}}Musafir’s family claimed that the NIA team questioned about some funds received by him from abroad and also phone calls received from abroad.
In Mohali, Jatinder Singh Bhangu, said to be Amritpal’s close associate, was questioned for around three hours by four NIA personnel in his house in the morning hours in Sector 69. Four other NIA men stood outside the residence during the questioning. People familiar with the process said Bhangu, when questioned about his recent Canada trip, informed the NIA team that his wife and son reside there. He also mentioned that the team reviewed his documents and took some of them along.
Bhangu, a Mandi Board chief engineer, played a role in Khalistani separatist Amritpal Singh’s surrender at Rode village in Moga district in April 2023.
The MP’s official X handle posted that his kin were being harassed. The NIA should come up with evidence, if any, it stated.
Having fought the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as an Independent candidate, Amritpal, who headed the Waris Punjab De (WPD) outfit, won from Khadoor Sahib by defeating Kulbir Singh Zira of the Congress by 1,97,120 votes.
(With inputs from Parteek and Robert)