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Crackdown on Amritpal Singh after Amit Shah summoned Bhagwant Mann: Reports
Amit Shah, concerned after the Ajnala incident, recently summoned Bhagwant Mann and reportedly asked him to take strict action against the elements trying to provoke separatist sentiments.
While the Punjab Police is confident of arresting "fugitive" pro-Khalistan outfit ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief Amritpal Singh soon, reports suggest that the central agencies have been nudging the Punjab government for a long to initiate police action against him. In fact, Union home minister Amit Shah, concerned after the Ajnala incident, recently summoned chief minister Bhagwant Mann and reportedly asked him to take strict action against the anti-national elements.
Mann had also met the Punjab governor on the same issue. One of the main mistakes Amritpal may have committed is by threatening Shah of “a fate similar to Indira Gandhi” and Mann of “being on the path of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh”.
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Mann met with Shah on March 2 and reportedly discussed it. On March 2, Mann had tweeted that he met the Union home minister and agreed to work together on the issue of law and order.
The Union home ministry last week had ordered the deployment of 18 companies in Punjab for “aid of the state government during law and order duties.” Out of the 18 contingents, eight are drawn from the anti-riot Rapid Action Force, while the rest are regular ones. The overall strength of these companies is around 19,000 personnel.
The second leg of the G20 meeting is scheduled to start on Sunday, and the police and the government were of the firm opinion that the arrest of Amritpal or his aide would not impact the second leg.
The police action came almost over three weeks after Amritpal's supporters clashed with uniformed personnel at the Ajnala police station on the outskirts of Amritsar last month, demanding the release of one of Amritpal's close aides, Lovepreet Toofan, who was arrested for allegedly assaulting and abducting a man.
On February 23, thousands of his supporters stormed the Ajnala police station, flashing swords and high-calibre firearms. The police later said "in the light of the evidence presented", released Toofan from jail on February 24 following orders of a court in Ajnala on an application by the police.
Reacting to the incident, Mann had said that these “1,000 people” don't represent Punjab, and alleged that they are “funded by Pakistan” to disrupt peace in the state.
Amritpal Singh still on run
On Sunday morning, the manhunt was still on to nab Amritpal Singh.
“He is now a fugitive and we are looking for him and we will soon arrest him,” Jalandhar Police Commissioner Kuldeep Singh Chahal told reporters near Nakodar in Jalandhar late Saturday night.
Chahal said six to seven gunmen of Amritpal Singh have been arrested.
The Punjab government had on Saturday launched a major crackdown against Amritpal, with police arresting 78 members of an outfit headed by him, officials said.
(With inputs from agencies)
