Chandigarh: Amritpal Singh, head of the pro-Khalistan outfit 'Waris Punjab De' organization continues to give tough time to the Punjab Police, which has so far failed to nab him in the aftermath of the violent storming of the Ajnala Police station by the radical outfit in which many cops were injured. As the operation by the Punjab Police to arrest Amritpal Singh entered the 5th day on Wednesday, here is a 10-pointer update on the pro-Khalistan leader who has put Punjab on the edge.
1. The Punjab Police on Tuesday issued a collage of pictures showing Amritpal Singh in different looks in a bid to bluff the police and flee the country. One of the pictures shows Amritpal clean-shaven, while another shows him in a stubble making it difficult to identify him at the first glance.
2. Police also recovered the cars used by Amritpal to flee before he abandoned the car and advanced further on a motorcycle. As per police, Singh visited a Gurudwara in Nangal Ambian village in Jalandhar district before changing his clothes and fleeing. Police have recovered four cars and arrested four people and booked them under the Arms Act who allegedly helped Amritpal to escape. Scores of others have been detained by the police on the suspicion of helping the pro-Khalistan leader.
3. The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday slammed the Punjab Police over the intelligence failure in the operation against Amritpal Singh. The high court questioned the Punjab Police's failure to nab Singh despite a strong force of 80,000 cops on disposal. However, advocate General Vinod Ghai told the High Court that a search for the Waris Punjab De leader is on. "We were armed but we refrained from using force. Some matters are so sensitive, that can't be explained in court. We are doing a good job in action against Amritpal. NSA has been imposed on him," the AG said.
4. The Punjab government on Tuesday restored the mobile Internet in the entire state except Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Moga, Sangrur, Sub-Division Ajnala in Amritsar and other areas where the ban has been extended till Thursday Mar. 23. The ban was imposed shortly after the operation to arrest Amritpal was launched in a bid to prevent any law and order situation.
Also read: Punjab Police releases 'changed looks' of fugitive Amritpal Singh; recovers car he used to flee
5. In an order, issued under section 5 of the Indian Telegraph Act 1885 and Rule 2 of the Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency Or Public Safety Rules 2017), the Punjab Home Department said the DGP, Punjab has brought to its notice that “certain sections of society are holding protests at several places in the State and are lately to threaten public order by incitement to violence as also resorting to wide spread violence with an aim to stoke and cause communal tension, obstruction or awry to persons, danger to human life and property, disturbance of public peace and tranquility thereby threatening public safely and Public order in the State of Punjab”.
6. Amritpal Singh's father Tarsem Singh on Tuesday slammed the Punjab government saying police had “already arrested” Amritpal contrary to the claims by the police that he remains absconding.
7. The Punjab Police on Monday invoked the stringent National Security Act against five of Amritpal Singh's associates.
8. Amid manhunt for Amritpal, his wife, Kirandeep Kaur, a UK citizen has also come under the radar of the security agencies. Kaur married Amritpal in a hush-hush ceremony at at Jallupur Khera village of Baba Bakala.
9. Resurgent pro-Khalistan leader Amritpal Singh came into limelight after he along with members of the 'Waris Punjab De', the radical Sikh outfit he heads, stormed into Ajnala Police Station on Feb. 24 to secure the release of fellow leader Lovepreet Singh Toofan.
10. While Amritpal Singh remains at large, Lovepreet Singh Toofan, too, has gone into hiding since the operation against Amritpal Singh was launched on Mar. 18.
