Radical Sikh preacher Amritpal Singh’s associates detained, internet shut in parts of Punjab

Police action against Khalistan sympathiser Amritpal Singh and his associates

The Punjab Police Saturday detained six associates of Amritpal Singh, the radical Sikh self-styled preacher. Supporters of Waris Punjab De, the organisation Singh heads, shared unconfirmed videos of the police giving chase to his cavalcade in Punjab’s Moga district.

Police intercept Amritpal Singh on his way to Bathinda

According to sources, Singh, a Khalistan sympathiser, was on his way to Bathinda when the police tried to intercept him. The houses of some of his supporters have been raided, sources told The Indian Express. Internet services have been shut in parts of Punjab. Amritpal himself is reportedly untraceable.

Unclear police action

It is not clear in what case the current police action comes. One kidnapping case has been registered against Singh at Ajnala police station in Amritsar. The police have not revealed if any case was lodged against him after his supporters stormed the Ajnala police station on February 24. Waving swords and guns, they had demanded the release of one of their members from police custody in an alleged kidnapping case.

Amritpal Singh’s rise to popularity

Disquiet against Amritpal Singh and his activities has been growing steadily, ever since he came to Punjab from Dubai last year and started making speeches about taking the youth back to “true Sikhi” and giving them shastra vidya (knowledge of weapons). The 29-year-old dresses like the slain Khalistani militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and even copies his mannerisms.

Rising popularity through social media

Amritpal Singh first started gaining traction on social media during the farmers’ stir against the now-repealed farm laws. He was a vocal supporter of protest leader Deep Sidhu, who hit the headlines over the hoisting the Nishan Sahib flag on the Red Fort on Republic Day in 2021. Singh then lived in Dubai, where he had been working as dispatcher in the family-owned transport business for the past over 10 years. His family is from Jallupur Khera in Amritsar.

Installation as head of Waris Punjab De

In February 2022, Sidhu died in a car accident. It was a few months after this, in September 2022, that Amritpal Singh returned from Dubai to become the head of Waris Punjab De, the organisation founded by Sidhu around a year earlier. The ceremony of his dastarbandi (installation) as the head of Waris Punjab De was held at Rode, Bhindranwale’s village, amid slogans of “Khalistan Zindabad”.

Aggressive speeches and opposition

In his speech at Rode, Amritpal Singh said, “We all (Punjabis) are still slaves. Those who think we are azaad (free), should consult a doctor. We have to fight for freedom. Our waters are being looted. Our Guru is being disrespected. Those who indulge in sacrilege, will not be handed over to police or sent to courts. Ohda sodha laguga (we will punish them).” Amritpal Singh’s popularity was built over Facebook lives and other social media sessions, with his aggressive speeches against regional and national political parties, feminists, activists, Khalsa Aid, and even some pro-Khalistan groups such as Dal Khalsa

Disassociation from Sidhu’s family

After he took over as the head of Waris Punjab De, Deep Sidhu’s family publicly dissociated themselves from him. Mandeep Singh Sidhu, Deep Sidhu’s brother, had told The Indian Express, “My brother made this organisation for a social cause, to raise issues of Punjab and to provide legal aid to the needy, not to propagate Khalistan. Amritpal is talking about creating unrest in Punjab. He is befooling people using my brother’s and Khalistan’s name.”

Amritpal’s plans for Waris Punjab De

Deep Sidhu had said Waris Punjab De was a social organisation to “fight for the rights of Punjab against the Centre and to raise a voice whenever there would be any attack on the culture, language, social fabric and rights of Punjab. Amritpal Singh, after taking over, said he would go from village to village in Punjab, to “bring youth back to Sikhi”. Asking youth to guard their villages against the widespread drug menace in Punjab, he said that instead of running away abroad after clearing IELTS, they should stay in Punjab and fight the “battle for its freedom”. He also urges the youth to become baptised Sikhs.

Comparison with Bhindranwale

On the comparisons with Bhindranwale, Singh had said, “Bhindranwale is my inspiration. I will walk the path shown by him. I want to be like him because that’s what every Sikh wants, but I am not copying him. I am not even equal to dust on his feet.”

Credit: https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/amritpal-singhs-associates-detained-who-is-this-radical-sikh-preacher-8505021/

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