The arrest of Amritpal Singh marks the culmination of a 35-day long crackdown launched by the Punjab Police on March 18. Apprehended early morning Sunday from Rode village in Moga, the Waris Punjab De chief has been flown to Assam to be lodged in Dibrugarh central jail.
The radical preacher came on the police radar following the storming of Ajnala Police Station on February 23 by his supporters demanding the release of one of their aides, Lovepreet Toofan. On March 2, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann along with DGP Punjab Gaurav Yadav held a meeting with home minister Amit Shah in Delhi to discuss the operation to take Singh into custody. With the conclusion of the G-20 meet in Amritsar on March 17, senior police officials were ordered to launch a state-wide crackdown against Amritpal and his aides.
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Although the central agencies were reportedly urging the state government to take action against the Sikh preacher becoming increasingly popular, the strongest nudge came after the Ajnala incident. As per reports, the severe crackdown was further accelerated by Singh’s warnings issued to Shah and Mann’s daughter. Singh had earlier threatened that Shah will meet a fate similar to that of former prime minister Indira Gandhi if he tried to stop the Khalistan movement. He also reportedly said that Mann is on the same track as former state CM Beant Singh.
{{/usCountry}}Although the central agencies were reportedly urging the state government to take action against the Sikh preacher becoming increasingly popular, the strongest nudge came after the Ajnala incident. As per reports, the severe crackdown was further accelerated by Singh’s warnings issued to Shah and Mann’s daughter. Singh had earlier threatened that Shah will meet a fate similar to that of former prime minister Indira Gandhi if he tried to stop the Khalistan movement. He also reportedly said that Mann is on the same track as former state CM Beant Singh.
{{/usCountry}}While Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh security guards, Beant Singh was killed in a suicide bomb attack by Dilawar Singh. Singh styles himself after Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, a Khalistan movement icon who was killed when the Indian army stormed the Golden Temple in Amritsar in 1984.
Amid the protests that erupted in Britain, Canada and the US amid the crackdown on Singh, a Patiala-based lawyer alleged in a post that Mann's daughter, Seerat Kaur, received threat calls from pro-Khalistan elements. Mann's ex wife Inderpreet Kaur Grewal, who lives in the US with daughter Seerat, 21, and son Dilshan, 18, confirmed the incident by sharing the post.
While the preacher remained on the run for 36 days, authorities continued to pile pressure on him by arresting his key associates. There were concerns that the preacher had links with Pakistan spy agency ISI and was working towards radicalising the Sikh youth, in an effort to revive the call for a separate nation of 'Khalistan'.
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Several cases have been lodged against him and his associates for allegedly spreading disharmony, attempt to murder, attack on police personnel and obstructing the lawful discharge of duty by public servants.
A day before Singh's arrest, Shah, speaking at India Today's Karnataka Roundtable 2023, lauded the Punjab government for doing a “good job” in the matter. “The Punjab government did good work. The Centre is also cooperating,” Shah said on Saturday.
(With inputs from agencies)