Punjab News LIVE Updates: Amritpal Still On The Run, Massive Hunt On, Say Cops; MHA 'Closely Monitoring' Situation Amid Internet Shutdown

The Punjab Police on Saturday said 78 people were arrested in a massive crackdown against Khalistani sympathiser and ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief Amritpal Singh and several members, including Singh, are on the run, and a “massive manhunt” has been launched to nab them. READ MORE

Police said ‘Waris Punjab De’ members are involved in four criminal cases relating to spreading disharmony among classes, attempt to murder, attack on police persons and creating obstructions in the lawful discharge of duties of public servants. These include the cases registered by against them during the attack on Ajnala Police Station.

After reports of a high-speed car chase comprising over 100 police vehicles in the afternoon, the Punjab Police confirmed that seven close associates of Amritpal Singh were arrested after officials on the Shahkot-Malsian Road intercepted them.

Punjab police on Saturday confirmed the arrest of 78 persons in a massive crackdown against Khalistani sympathiser and ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief Amritpal Singh. Several members, including Amritpal Singh, are on the run, and a massive manhunt has been launched to nab them, police said.

Detained ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief Amritpal Singh had asked his aides to stay armed and had formed a team called ‘Anandpur Khalsa Army'(AKF). The team would always stay around him with dangerous weapons, sources said.

After the Ajnala incident, in which Amritpal Singh’s supporters clashed with police for the release of one of his aide, Singh threatened Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann by saying he was on the path of Beant Singh (ex-CM, Punjab) who was assassinated by Dilawar Singh. Further, he claimed that Mann would also be killed in same manner.

The arrest of Khalistani sympathiser and ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief Amritpal Singh and his six associates on Saturday came after Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had, earlier this month, called on Union Home Minister Amit Shah and discussed with him the prevailing law and order situation in the border state. The Union home ministry last week also ordered the deployment of 18 companies in Punjab for “aid of the state government during law and order duties.”

Last week, the Punjab Police registered cases against Amritpal Singh and his supporters in Ajnala for alleged hate speech. In February, a man filed a complaint at Ajnala Police Station, accusing associates of the radical preacher of kidnapping and assaulting him. Amritpal Singh and six of his associates were named in an FIR. Police arrested Lovepreet Singh Toofan, a close associate of Amritpal, in connection with the incident. However, after Toofan’s arrest, Amritpal issued a warning to the police to revoke the case against him. The situation turned violent when hundreds of his supporters armed with automatic guns and sharp weapons broke through police barricades and stormed the police complex. Toofan was released under pressure, but the police assured the court that they would continue their investigation into the matter.

Following the arrest of Amritpal Singh, officials told PTI that the Union Home Ministry is “closely monitoring” the situation in Punjab in the wake of renewed activities of some Khalistani supporters.

According to a CNN-News18 report in February, intelligence officials reported that Facebook and Instagram accounts sharing numerous images depicting supposed instances of Sikh oppression in India. Additionally, these posts are being promoted and specifically targeted towards viewers in Canada, the UK, and Germany. According to the sources, the advertisements are tailored to reach only young Sikhs aged between 18 and 25 years old. The funds for the ads, worth millions of dollars, directly linked Sikh secessionist leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale with Amritpal Singh.

Weeks ahead of Amritpal Singh’s arrest by Punjab police, top intelligence sources told CNN-News18 that the Khalistani separatist with international links had received a significant social media push from Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI through “indirect funding routes”.

Congress’ Ludhiana MP and former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh’s grandson Ravneet Singh Bittu had last month claimed to have received a call from an international number, threatening him of dire consequences if he did not stop speaking against Amritpal Singh. In-charge Ghumar Mandi police post, Ludhiana, Sub Inspector Satnam Singh Bhullar said he had received a complaint regarding the threat call received by Bittu and further investigations were on.

The Punjab Police on Saturday swooped down to act against Khalistani sympathiser Amritpal Singh a day after the G-20 meeting in Amritsar got over and just a day before the ‘barsi’ of late Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala is to be held in Mansa. READ MORE

Controversial leader and ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief Amritpal Singh was arrested after a police crackdown against him took place in Punjab, involving a high speech chase and several of his aides’ detention.

Controversial Khalistan sympathizer Amritpal Singh was arrested by the Punjab Police after a tense high-speed chase involving around 100 police cars amid heavy drama in Jallupur Khera village, sources told CNN-News18. READ MORE

The Moga police have detained two close associates of Amritpal Singh, namely Gurmeet Singh of Bukanwala village and Bhagwant Singh alias Pardhan Mantri Bajeke, a resident of Bajeke village. The Barnala police have also detained another aide, Basant Singh, who is a close associate. Searches for his associates are also underway in Moga, Ferozepur, Taran Taran, and Amritsar districts.

Sources said that the police team pursued the vehicle in which Amritpal Singh was fleeing but lost sight of him when a potato-laden truck came between the cops and his vehicle. The police teams from Jalandhar and Amritsar districts were reportedly chasing Singh in the Mehatpur area. The Moga police have sealed the border with Jalandhar district and police teams have also been deployed in the villages along the Sutlej river in the Moga district.

According to officials, the Punjab Police cordoned off a house in the village of Jallupur Khera in Mehatpur where Amritpal and his followers were present on Saturday. However, Amritpal and another aide managed to flee the scene while six of his aides were detained by the police.

Punjab police cracked down against controversial leader Amritpal Singh, arresting six of his aids and reports of the ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief’s arrest on Saturday. Police sources said that the raids were conducted simultaneously in Jalandhar, Amirtsar and Moga.

Punjab Minister Balbir Singh, when asked about police crackdown against Amritpal Singh, he said, “Our CM has restored the rule of law. Be it one of our own or anyone else, law will take its course against violators. There is no discrimination. It is not as if people died of spurious liquor and nobody is responsible or there was sacrilege and nobody is responsible. This is called rule of law.”