India: Fugitive separatist Amritpal Singh arrested in Punjab

In a major breakthrough for the officials, fugitive Sikh separatist Amritpal Singh was arrested on Sunday (April 23) by Moga Police in Punjab, India. Singh handed himself in to police after a massive manhunt that lasted more than a month, police said while urging citizens to maintain peace and harmony. Police asked to not share fake news, and always verify before sharing anything.

More details are awaited but news agencies quoting Punjab police sources reported that Singh is likely to be shifted to Dibrugarh, Assam, where eight of his aides are kept. Media reports also mentioned that like his aides, Singh has been arrested under the National Security Act.

IGP Sukhchain Singh Gill said that during the entire operation, the "people of Punjab maintained peace and law and order, for which we thank them. We conducted the operation and arrested him at 6:45am".

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Videos shared on social media purportedly showed that Singh addressed a gathering at a Gurdwara in Rode village of Moga district before being arrested.

Hindustan Times quoted former Akal Takht Jathedar Jasbir Singh Rode as saying that Amritpal reached Rode village late on Saturday night.

Jasbir said, "I got to know from the police that Amritpal is going to surrender. I reached here sometime before his surrender. After paying obeisance and reciting Path went to gurdwara where he addressed the Sangat (gathering). He explained the reasons for being late in surrender and also thanked people who helped him including providing him stays."

"He went outside of the gurdwara and surrendered before the police. The reports that Amritpal was arrested or forced to surrender are false. Police would have not allowed him to address a gathering, if they knew he was here," he added.

The radical preacher and his associates face several criminal cases related to spreading disharmony among classes, attempting to murder, attack police personnel and creating obstructions in the lawful discharge of duty by public servants. He has been on the run since March 18.

Intelligence agencies say Amritpal Singh has been sourcing weapons from Pakistan through its spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and trying to divide Punjab on communal lines. Amritpal Singh had been allegedly leading young people towards "gun culture".

Amritpal's wife questioned

Recently, the 'Waris Punjab De' chief Amritpal's wife Kirandeep Kaur was stopped at the Shri Guru Ram Dass International Airport, Amritsar on Thursday (April 20) while she was trying to board a flight to London, UK.

Media reports quoted airport sources as saying: "Amritpal Singh's wife Kirandeep Kaur was supposed to travel to Birmingham by Air India Flight scheduled at 2:30 pm. At 12:20 pm, she reported to the immigration counters and being an LOC subject the immigration has not permitted her to travel and detained her."

She was reportedly questioned.

(With inputs from agencies)

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