Amritpal Singh
Punjab Police yet to arrest Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh, state on high alert
Amritsar/IBNS: Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh is still on the run from the Punjab police and a massive search is on to nab him, media reports said on Sunday.
In a major crackdown on the pro-Khalistan group Waris De Punjab, the Punjab Police has already arrested at least 78 supporters and detained some of them for questioning.
Singh was last seen speeding away on a motorcycle on Saturday evening in Jalandhar, said reports.
"Six to seven gunmen of Amritpal Singh are among those arrested by police," Jalandhar Police Commissioner Kuldeep Singh Chahal said.
Internet in the area has been suspended across the state till 12 pm tomorrow as Amritpal's associates started circulating frantic videos urging supporters to reach Shahkot, the report said.
Anticipating violence and disturbance, a large contingent of police personnel has been stationed outside Jallupur Khaira, which is Amritpal's hometown in the Amritsar district. Law enforcement officials and paramilitary forces have cordoned off the village.
The police stopped all movements on the roads and placed huge barricades in Shakot.
According to the report, the Punjab government waited for the conclusion of the G20 event to launch the operation against him.
The leader of the Waris De Punjab has been active in Punjab for a few years after he was made the chief of the radical organisation founded by actor and Khalistan sympathiser Deep Sandhu.
The self-styled radical Sikh preacher is often seen accompanied by armed supporters.
On Feb 23, a massive protest occurred in support of Amritpal Singh's key aide, Lovepreet Singh, who had been arrested on charges of kidnapping.
Amritpal Singh was at the centre of the protest, during which his supporters, some of whom were armed with swords and guns, broke through barricades and stormed a police station on the outskirts of Amritsar city in Ajnala.
They then secured a guarantee from the police that Lovepreet Singh would be released. Amritpal Singh subsequently held the Punjab Police responsible for the violence.
Six police personnel, including a Superintendent of Police rank officer, were injured during the clash.
After Amritpal Singh’s blatant act, the opposition parties slammed the AAP government in the state. In a statement, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said that his government is dedicated to upholding law and order in the state and that they will not allow anyone to disrupt the hard-earned peace.
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