"Waris Punjab De" chief Amritpal Singh, who was arrested earlier today morning, was nabbed from a Gurudwara in Rode village in the Moga district, Punjab, as confirmed by Punjab IGP Sukhchain Singh Gill.
Addressing a press conference, Gill said that the controversial Khalistan sympathiser, Amritpal Singh, was arrested from a Gurudwara in Rode at around 6.45 am on April 23.
To maintain sanctity, the police did not enter the Gurudwara, and instead surrounded the entire village, shutting off all means of escape for the separatist leader, he said.
"He has been taken to Dibrugarh under NSA, and further the law will take its own course. We are thankful to the people of Punjab for maintaining peace and harmony during this entire episode," said Gill.
Amritpal Singh, who insists he is not a fugitive, was taking refuge in a Gurudwara in Rode. Earlier today, Rodewal Gurudwara cleric, Singh Sahib Giani Jasbir Singh Rode, said that Amritpal Singh came to the gurudwara on Saturday night. "He himself informed the police about his presence and that he will surrender this morning at 7 am," he claimed, while speaking to ANI.
Amritpal Singh is infamous for idolising slain Khalistani militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and leading the 'Waris Punjab De' outfit since last year. In February this year, he grabbed headlines for crashing barricades and barging into the Ajnala Police Station on the outskirts of Amritsar city to clash with police for the release of one of his aides.
Amritpal Singh had earlier escaped the police dragnet twice — first on March 18 in Jalandhar district by switching vehicles and then again on March 28 in Hoshiarpur when he returned to Punjab along with his key associate Papalpreet Singh.
Papalpreet, who is considered to be Amritpal's mentor and who has allegedly been in contact with Pakistan's ISI, has been arrested.
While on the run, two videos and one audio clip of Amritpal Singh had surfaced on social media. In one of his two videos, which surfaced on March 30, Amritpal Singh had asserted that he was not a fugitive and would soon appear.
The pro-Khalistan preacher had claimed that he was not like those who flee the country.
The Jathedar of Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikhs, had asked the preacher to surrender before the police and cooperate with the investigation.
Recently, Punjab Police had pasted posters of Amritpal Singh at railway stations in Batala and Amritsar, announcing that an appropriate reward will be given to anyone who provides credible information about his whereabouts.
On April 15, police managed to nab Amritpal Singh's close aide Joga Singh from Sirhind in Fatehgarh Sahib. According to them, Joga Singh was in direct contact with Amritpal and had even arranged a shelter and vehicles for him in Uttar Pradesh's Pilibhit.
It was Joga Singh who brought Amritpal and his aide Papalpreet back to Punjab on March 28.
Nine of Amritpal's aides — Daljit Singh Kalsi, Papalpreet Singh, Kulwant Singh Dhaliwal, Varinder Singh Johal, Gurmeet Singh Bukkanwala, Harjit Singh, Bhagwant Singh, Basant Singh and Gurinderpal Singh Aujla — have been lodged in Dibrugarh jail in Assam and charged under the stringent National Security Act.
Amritpal Singh was last year anointed the head of 'Waris Punjab De', the organisation founded by actor and activist Deep Sidhu.
(With PTI inputs)
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