India asks Nepal not to allow Amritpal Singh to escape; Nepal puts him on surveillance list

CHANDIGARH: The Indian government has requested the Nepal government not to allow pro-Khalistan activist and chief of  'Waris Punjab De' Amritpal Singh believed to be hiding in Nepal to flee to a third country. Nepal has been told to arrest him if he attempts to escape using Indian or any other fake passport. Thus, Nepal has put the radical Sikh preacher on their surveillance list. 

The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu has requested the Nepalese government agencies to arrest Singh if he tries to flee from Nepal. The letter and Singh’s personal details have been circulated to all the concerned agencies from hotels to airlines, as Singh is said to be possessing multiple passports with him, said sources.

It is learnt that after Nepal received request from India embassy the Immigration department of the neighboring country  has put Amritpal on its surveillance. As it was suspected that he had entered Nepal and was hiding somewhere around.

Meanwhile, the Punjab Police on Monday arrested yet another gunman of Amritpal Singh, Varinder Singh Johal alias 'Fauji' in relation to the Ajnala violence case.

Johal who is a dismissed army jawan was arrested by the Tarn Taran Police as he belongs to Raju Singh Wala village in the district. The police have invoked the National Security Act (NSA) against him and he was then sent to Dibrugarh jail in Assam.

Confirming his arrest, a senior police official said that the accused had been working as a gunman of Amritpal Singh for some time and is a dismissed Army jawan. He was on the run after the radical leader had vanished and was caught on Monday by the Tarn Taran Police and handed over to Amritsar (Rural) Police.

Earlier Johal’s arm license issued from Jammu and Kashmir was cancelled after the Punjab government took up the matter with their J&K counterparts in view of the Ajnala violence. He was among the 10 gunmen who accompanied Amritpal all the time.