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New Delhi: In a major crackdown, Punjab police arrested 78 close aides so far. According to sources, the Punjab Police is on the lookout for Amritpal Singh, a radical preacher from the state and head of “Waris Punjab De”. The Punjab Police has said in a statement on Saturday evening that it has arrested 78 close associates of Khalistan supporter Amritpal Singh.
The police of seven districts have cordoned off the place where Amritpal is likely to be hiding. Amritpal Singh and his companions were surrounded by the police near Mahetpur village of Shahkot in Jalandhar. The police had advance information about Amritpal Singh’s arrival in Shahkot. That’s why Moga police had already closed all the roads of Moga and Shahkot and had set up a big naka.
The police had earlier arrested six of his companions. The rest were arrested in the evening. Taking precaution, the administration had shut down the internet in many areas of Punjab from 12 midnight last night. Sources say that due to the G-20, the government waited to take action against Amritpal Singh.
There are three cases registered against Amritpal Singh, the head of pro-Khalistan organization ‘Waris Punjab De’, out of which two cases are in Ajnala police station of Amritsar district. Angered by the arrest of one of his close friends, Amritpal along with his supporters attacked the Ajnala police station on 23 February. There was a lot of criticism of the Punjab Police for not taking action on him in this case.
Amritpal Singh got his worker released from the police by staging a massive protest against the arrest of his key aide Lovepreet Singh. Hardline preacher and Khalistan supporter Amritpal Singh, who is often surrounded by armed supporters, has been active in Punjab for some time now. Amritpal Singh is the head of “Waris Punjab De”. It is a radical organization started by actor and activist Deep Sidhu. Sidhu had died in a road accident in February last year.
Amritpal Singh, speaking to sources, alleged that the police had registered a “false case” against his associate Lovepreet Singh alias Toofan Singh, so he and hundreds of “Waris Punjab De” supporters went to Ajnala in Amritsar to meet the police . Lovepreet Singh was kept there. Amritpal Singh had told NDTV, “The media is misrepresenting the whole matter. A false First Information Report (FIR) was lodged against Lovepreet Singh. The police stopped our vehicles before lathi-charging.”
He said that, “If the police had not lathicharged the people, the violence would not have happened.” He denied allegations that he used the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of the Sikhs, to avoid police action. Singh said, “Wherever we go, the palanquin of Guru Granth Sahib moves ahead.”
