Controversial pro-Khalistan preacher Amritpal Singh was trying to form a militia called Anandpur Khalsa Fauj (AKF) and had imprinted the name of this nascent outfit on bulletproof jackets and rifles that were recovered in an ongoing crackdown against the separatist leader and his followers, Punjab Police said on Monday.
The developments came on a day Union home minister Amit Shah instructed the Border Security Force and Sashastra Seema Bal to remain on alert, officials aware of the matter said, to prevent Singh or his followers from slipping out of the country.
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Punjab Police, which launched a statewide manhunt against Singh and his followers on Saturday, said even the gates of the Waris Punjab De chief had the letters AKF written on them.
“We have a very strong suspicion of an ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) angle, based on the facts and circumstances that have come to light so far. We also have a very strong suspicion of foreign funding. Going by the circumstances, it seems that ISI is involved and there is foreign funding as well,” Punjab inspector general of police Sukhchain Singh Gill said in a press conference. This is the first on-record admission of the possible involvement of Pakistan’s agency in the case by Punjab Police officials. “We also have a very strong suspicion of foreign funding. Money has reached aides of Amritpal through hawala in small quantities. Going by the circumstances, it seems that ISI is involved,” added Gill.
He said that 114 people were arrested for trying to disturb peace and harmony in the state. “We have registered seven different FIRs against various actors of Waris Punjab De and have recovered 10 illegal weapons from their possession,” said Gill.
{{/usCountry}}He said that 114 people were arrested for trying to disturb peace and harmony in the state. “We have registered seven different FIRs against various actors of Waris Punjab De and have recovered 10 illegal weapons from their possession,” said Gill.
{{/usCountry}}The crackdown on Singh and his supporters began on Saturday when a police cavalcade intercepted his car near Mehatpur town when he was on his way to Bathinda to address a gathering. But Singh changed vehicles and managed to evade arrest. Since then, Gill added, 114 people have been arrested. “78 of them were arrested on the first day, 34 on day 2 and two others were arrested last night. 10 weapons have also been recovered,” he said.
Home ministry officials said photos of the fugitive have also been shared with the two forces and they have been asked to be alert at the border posts. BSF officials, who guard the nearly 550 km border with Pakistan in Punjab, confirmed they are on high alert to prevent any escape by Singh or foil possible attempts by his counterparts in Pakistan to get him out of India.
“There is peace in the state, and the situation is stable. There is no law and order situation,” Gill said.
Singh and his followers first hit the national headlines on February 23, when they stormed a police station in Ajnala town and forced the state government to free a key aide, Lovepreet Singh Toofan, who was accused of abduction. The protests and the police’s decision to give into the agitators’ demands sent shock waves through the country and sparked concerns that the law-and-order situation was slipping in a state that battled militancy and separatism through the 1980s.