He was on the run since 18 March, but the crazy manhunt for Waris Punjab De leader and Khalistani sympathiser Amritpal Singh came to an end on 23 April (Sunday) when the 30-year-old surrendered at a gurdwara in Rode village, in Moga district of Punjab.
The Punjab Police then arrested the fugitive and has taken the Waris Punjab De chief to Assam’s Dibrugarh jail, where his other aides are already being held under the National Security Act, which allows detention up to a year without any charge.
It’s interesting to note that Rode, where Amritpal surrendered, is the same place from where he first evaded arrest on 18 March following which a crackdown was launched against him. Additionally, Rode is the ancestral village of slain Sikh militant leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, after whom Amritpal has styled himself.
But, why did Amritpal surrender in the first place? What prompted him to do so? Was it because the authorities had cracked down on his wife Kirandeep Kaur? We investigate and give you the answers.
Also read: Do Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh’s aides have links to Pakistan?
All eyes on Kirandeep
Amritpal’s arrest from Rode came three days after his wife Kirandeep Kaur was stopped by the Punjab Police at Shri Guru Ram Dass International Airport in Amritsar as she was trying to board a flight to London.
She had also been questioned by the authorities last month along with Amritpal Singh’s mother in Amritsar’s Jallupur Khera village. It is reported that Amritpal feared that if he fled the country and Kirandeep was left behind, she would be arrested and blamed for his escape.
Kirandeep, who is a British national and married Amritpal this February, wanted to leave the country before her visa expires in July.
India Today further reported citing sources that the self-styled preacher routed funds through his wife and stashed them in the United Kingdom.
People belonging to Amritpal’s in-laws village, Kular in Jalandhar, were also of the opinion that Amritpal surrendered after his wife faced ‘harassment’ from the authorities. One of the villagers of Kular was quoted as telling Indian Express, “No doubt his wife is innocent, and he could not see her getting harassed.”
Kirandeep Kaur married Amritpal Singh in February this year at his ancestral village of Jallupur Khera in Amritsar. In an interview to The Week, Kirandeep had said that she first got in touch with Amritpal on Instagram. She had then said in the interview that she knew that she would be his second priority. “He told me that if he had to choose between the panth and our relationship, the panth would come first. I always knew that I was his second priority. But he really loves me and cannot see me upset, ever,” she was quoted as saying then.
After the duo got married, Amritpal Singh had described their marriage as an example of reverse migration while announcing that they both would live in Punjab.
After being questioned last month, Kirandeep had told The Week that she had done nothing wrong and would not run away. “I am not going to run away from this situation… I am here legally. I can stay here for 180 days. I have been here for two months already. I will not go against the law and will not overstay beyond the stipulated period. This is my home now.”
Cornering Amritpal Singh
The ‘cat-and-mouse’ chase between Amritpal Singh and the authorities came to an end on 23 April – over a month after he fled.
The Amritsar Police and the intelligence wing of Punjab Police received information that the self-styled preacher was at the gurdwara in Rode village. This gurdwara is also where Amritpal’s dastarbandi (turban-tying ceremony, when he took over as Waris Punjab De leader after returning from Dubai) was held last September.
After receiving the information, the police surrounded Rode village to ensure that Amritpal couldn’t flee. Officials said the entire operation was monitored by Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann.
Changed vehicles, knocked down bikes: How Amritpal Singh evaded arrest from Punjab Police
As he was inside the gurdwara, the police waited outside. Inspector General of Police (Headquarters) Sukhchain Singh Gill later told the media, “To maintain sanctity of the gurdwara, the police did not enter… he knew he could not escape as he was surrounded… Maintaining sanctity was most important… police could not have entered the gurdwara in uniform. He was arrested about 6:45 am. He was taken to Dibrugarh under NSA, and the law will take its course.”
When asked if Amritpal had delivered an address inside the place of worship, the IG said, “It is very clear that we have arrested him. He was arrested after he was surrounded from all sides. It is not appropriate to comment on what happened or what was said inside (the gurdwara).”
What comes next for Amritpal
Amritpal Singh, or Bhindranwale 2.0 as he likes to call himself, is now lodged in a high security prison where northeast rebels used to be kept earlier. He faces over half-a-dozen charges against him which include murder, abduction and extortion.
His family was quoted as telling news agency PTI that they were relieved on seeing him after more than a month and would fight the legal battle. “We came to know through the media at 7:15 am that he has been arrested,” said his uncle Sukhchain Singh said in Amritsar to PTI, adding, “Today, the family is feeling worry-free. We have seen him (Amritpal).”
Amritpal’s father Tarsem Singh said they were proud of him, and claimed that his son surrendered before the police. “We were happy to see his face after 36 days,” the father said. Meanwhile, his mother Balwinder Kaur said that they were proud that he has surrendered. “We are proud that he surrendered at the place where his turban-tying ceremony was held.”
“We are happy that our son surrendered while being in full ‘Sikhi sarup’(not having shorn his hair),” she said, adding that Amritpal even shared a video in which he said he would surrender.
With inputs from agencies
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