Punjab cops detain radical preacher Amritpal Singh, internet suspended till Sunday

Amripal's cavalcade was reportedly intercepted by police in Mehatpur village in Jalandhar district on Saturday. Six of his supporters were learnt to have been detained.

Published: 18th March 2023 03:55 PM  |   Last Updated: 18th March 2023 05:47 PM   |  A+A-

An undated photo of radical preacher Amritpal Singh who reportedly evades arrest after police launch a massive crackdown against him and his aides in Amritsar. (File photo | PTI)

By PTI

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab police on Saturday detained radical preacher Amritpal Singh after launching a crackdown against the 'Waris Punjab De' chief but no official confirmation has come in this regard so far.

Amripal's cavalcade was intercepted by police in Mehatpur village in Jalandhar district on Saturday. The cops had earlier detained six of his supporters.

Internet services have been suspended across the state till 12 noon Sunday, said a senior official of the Home affairs department.

Some supporters of 'Waris Punjab De' chief shared some videos on social media claiming that policemen were chasing them. A video also showed Amritpal sitting in a vehicle and one of his aides could be heard saying policemen were after 'Bhai Saab (Amritpal).

Another supporter in a field shared a video in which he was claiming that policemen were after him. A heavy police force was involved in the entire operation.

Meanwhile, Punjab Police asked people to maintain peace and harmony. "Request all citizens to maintain peace & harmony Punjab Police is working to maintain Law & Order. Request citizens not to panic or spread fake news or hate speech," it said in a tweet.

Last month, Amritpal and his supporters, some of them brandishing swords and guns, broke through barricades and barged into the Ajnala Police Station on the outskirts of the Amritsar city, and clashed with police for the release of one of Amritpal's aide.

During the incident, six policemen including a Superintendent of Police rank officer had suffered injuries.

INTERVIEW | An armed struggle is always the last option, if it is imposed on us: Amritpal



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