CHANDIGARH: Radical preacher Amritpal Singh was arrested in Rode village of Punjab's Moga district on Sunday morning after police personnel surrounded him, leaving him with no way to escape, a senior Punjab Police official said here.
After 35 days on the run from law enforcement agencies, he was arrested from the native village of Khalistani separatist terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. Amritpal was made the head of `Waris Punjab De’ at the turban-tying ceremony (dastarbandi) at the same place.
Amritpal Singh often called "Bhindranwale 2.0" by his supporters has been on the run since March 18.
Confirming his arrest, Inspector General of Police (Headquarters) Sukhchain Singh Gill said police maintained relentless pressure for the last 35 days to catch Amritpal as the state intelligence wing besides all the local units and Amritsar Rural and Moga Police were involved in the operation. Already the stringent National Security Act (NSA) is invoked against the radical leader.
"National Security Act (NSA) warrants were issued against Amritpal and those warrants have been executed today morning. Amritpal was arrested at 6:45 am from Rode village as the police had special inputs that he was hiding in the gurdwara of the village. The entire Rode village was cordoned off today morning after intelligence inputs. Amritpal got the message that he has been surrounded by police, thereafter he was arrested. We did not enter the gurdwara to maintain its sanctity (Maryada) as a religious place as it is supreme for us. He was surrounded and had no chance to escape.’’
He is being shifted to Dibrugarh central jail in Assam where eight of his aides are already being held under the National Security Act (NSA). "He is being taken to Dibrugarh, Assam, and further action will be taken as per the law,’’ said Gill.
Meanwhile, former Akal Takht Jathedar Jasbir Singh Rode claimed that Amritpal Singh reached Rode village late on Saturday night and he came to know that he is going to surrender.
"After paying obeisance at the gurdwara of the village where he also addressed a gathering in which he thanked people who helped him and explained the reasons for his late surrender, then he went outside of the gurdwara and surrendered before the police,’’ said Rode.
But when IGP Gill was asked that Amritpal surrender before the police as claimed by Rode, Gill categorically said that the radical leader was arrested as he had nowhere to run as the village was surrounded by the police.
When asked if there are reports of Amritpal offering prayers inside the gurudwara before the police took him into custody, Gill said that he is not aware of what happened inside the gurudwara.
Also, a video is doing rounds on social media in which Amritpal Singh is addressing a gathering at a gurdwara in Rode village in which he says that he would surrender.
" It is the birthplace of Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. This is the place where my 'dastar bandi' (turban tying) ceremony took place. We are standing at life's critical juncture. As you have seen what has happened during the past one month. A month back you have seen that the authorities unleashed excesses on the sikhs. There were many ways to arrest me I would have cooperated,” he said.
"In the court of Almighty, I am not guilty but I could be guilty in the worldly court. After one month, I decided to fight on this land and will never leave this land as false cases were registered and we will face them in court. With the prayers of the community (sangat) I could not have survived so long. In the same place I decided to surrender and this arrest is not an end, it is the beginning. Soon all this false narrative (bunch of lies) created against him will be demolished by the almighty and then I will again come in front of the sangat (community). I request the youth to get themselves baptized (Amrit-dhari),’’ he is heard in the video.
Police did not enter the gurudwara in which Amritpal was present to maintain its sanctity.
"To maintain sanctity, the police did not enter the gurdwara and since he knew that he had no way to escape now, he was surrounded by Punjab Police.
The village was surrounded by Punjab Police from all sides," he said.
Punjab Police urged people to maintain peace and harmony and refrain from sharing any fake news.
The police said that details about the arrest will be shared and the people should verify any news before sharing.
"Amritpal Singh arrested in Moga, Punjab. Further details will be shared by #PunjabPolice Urge citizens to maintain peace and harmony, Don't share any fake news, always verify and share," Punjab Police tweeted.
Amritpal Singh surrendered three days after his wife Kirandeep Kaur was held for questioning at the Amritsar airport while she was trying to flee to London. Kirandeep Kaur, who was questioned by the customs department, was detained as a precautionary measure under the same legal process under which the family and acquaintances of the absconding accused are questioned.
Amritpal Singh tied the knot with UK-based Kaur in February this year.
#WATCH | Earlier visuals of Waris Punjab De's #AmritpalSingh at Gurudwara in Moga, Punjab.
In February, this year hundreds of supporters of Pro-Khalistan propagator and self-styled Sikh preacher Amritpal Singh had barged into the Ajnala Police Station near Amritsar and laid siege after clashing with the police personnel.
The 29-year-old's supporters, some of them brandishing swords and guns, broke through barricades and stormed the police station demanding that Lovepreet Singh alias Toofan, an accused in a case involving kidnapping, be released. A few policemen were injured during the clash, according to officials.
A case was registered against Amritpal Singh and his 30 supporters for allegedly kidnapping and thrashing Barinder Singh, a resident of Chamkaur Sahib in Rupnagar district.
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.
ALSO READ | Story of how Amritpal gave Punjab cops the slip
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 inputs from PTI)