Shillong, April 23: Amritpal Singh, separatist radical leader of the ‘Waris Punjab De’, who had been evading arrest since March 18 was today arrested from Moga. The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan is suspected to be aligned with Amritpal Singh leading to the registration of six FIRs and the arrest of 114 persons.
After the radical preacher and his armed supporters stormed an Ajnala police station in February to free one of his aides, the authorities were keeping an eye on him.
Amritpal Singh, 30, who had previously lived in Dubai and had an non-orthodox lifestyle, converted to Khalistani ideology after taking up the position of Waris Punjab De head and encouraging separatist sentiments.
The 30-year-old separatist leader is from the Amritsar, Punjab, village of Jallupur. Amritpal Singh lived in Dubai and assisted with a relative’s transport company there till February 2022. After completing Class 12, he left Punjab.
It’s interesting to note that Amritpal did not lead a traditional Sikh lifestyle like previous Khalistani leaders had. He had a stylish haircut and did not don the turban, which is one of the primary symbols of Sikh practise. Additionally, he used social media extensively.
Everything, however, changed on February 15, 2022, the day that Deep Sidhu, a Punjabi actor and the head of Waris Punjab De at the time, died in a car accident.
Similar to Amritpal Singh, Deep Sidhu was a non-practicing Sikh who gained national attention after he caused mayhem at the Red Fort in New Delhi on January 26, 2021 during farmers protest.
Amritpal Singh suddenly arrived in Punjab and was appointed the new Waris Punjab De leader. Amritpal Singh was chosen as the next head of Waris Punjab De by his supporters at a ceremony held on September 29, 2022, in Rode village in Moga district, the village of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.
But Deep Sidhu’s kin distanced themselves from Amritpal Singh, who they reportedly even charged with abusing the group to push separatist propaganda.
Sources claim that Amritpal Singh met Jaswant Singh Rode, the president of the International Sikh Youth Federation and the brother of Khalistani supporter Lakhbir Singh Rode, while he was in Dubai. According to authorities, he also communicated with Paramjit Singh Pamma, another advocate of Khalistan.