Police search for Amritpal Singh enters Day 4 | All we know so far
2 min read 21 Mar 2023, 08:08 AM ISTPunjab police extended mobile internet and SMS services suspension till Tuesday noon, in a major crackdown to catch radical preacher Amritpal Singh.
PremiumPunjab police hunt for Waris Punjab De chief and Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh has entered day 4 on Tuesday. The cops have launched a massive crackdown against the radical preacher who is still on the run, while his uncle Harjit Singh and driver Harpreet Singh already surrendered before the Jalandhar police.
The Punjab government on Monday extended the mobile internet and SMS service suspension till Tuesday noon to catch the radical preacher. The state police officials are also arresting 78 members of an outfit headed by him.
Hunt for Amritpal Singh: What happened in last 3 days?
1) Pakistani intelligence agency ISI, which has been the brain behind the growth of radical preacher Amritpal Singh, has now instigated overseas Khalistan supporters to organize protests and demonstrations abroad including London, San Francisco, and Canberra in his support.
2) Pro-Khalistan supporters vandalized the Indian High Commission in London and the Indian Consulate in San Francisco, and there were sporadic protests in Australia.
3) In New Delhi, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said on Monday that India has asked the UK to quickly arrest and prosecute those involved in pulling down the Indian flag at its mission in London.
4) The Punjab Police on Monday flagged a possible “ISI angle" as it invoked the stringent National Security Act against five men linked to radical preacher Amritpal Singh, whose uncle and driver surrendered amid a state-wide crackdown against his "Waris Punjab De" group.
5) The Punjab Police operation began Saturday, weeks after Amritpal Singh and his supporters stormed the Ajnala police station near Amritsar to secure the release of an arrested associate.
6) So far, six FIRs have been registered, 114 people arrested, and ten weapons and 430 cartridges recovered in the action against Waris Punjab De, police said.
7) Officials also stated that Amritpal Singh has allegedly been maintaining close links with drug peddlers and Pakistan's ISI to further his goal of a separate country for the Sikhs. “While drug lords were allegedly helping the pro-Khalistan preacher financially, including gifting him a high-end Mercedes SUV, the ISI was helping him with arms, ammunition and other logistics."
8) On Saturday, when police were trying to apprehend the radical preacher, he had abandoned the SUV to evade the police and rode a bike, and fled the scene. The SUV has since been seized by the Punjab Police.
9) Singh tried to project himself as a social reformer and was running de-addiction centres with the objective of setting up a private militia with those who come to his fold, they said.
10) He also has links with chief of International Sikh Youth Federation Lakhbir Singh Rode, who is wanted for trial in India and in cases of arms and explosive smuggling, including RDX, conspiracy to attack government leaders in New Delhi and spreading hatred in Punjab.
(With inputs from agencies)
