After over a month-long chase, Khalistani leader and ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief Amritpal Singh surrendered before the Punjab Police in Moga district on Sunday morning. Before surrender, he addressed a crowd at a gurudwara at the native village of slain militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale in Rode village.
According to police officials, he intended to surrender before a large crowd but his plans did not materialise. He was placed under arrest at Gurdwara Janam Asthan Sant Khalsa.
Amritpal had been on the run since March 18, when the Punjab Police launched a major crackdown against him and the members of his outfit.
Earlier, he was expected to surrender at the Golden Temple on March 28, but the plan was foiled, and he managed to escape.
Amritpal, who has been described as a Khalistani-Pakistan agent, has emerged as “Bhindranwale 2.0” among his supporters. After his arrest, Punjab Police urged people across the state to maintain peace and not share fake news.
In a video taken shortly before he was arrested, Amritpal justified his decision to evade the Punjab Police, stating that the last one month “exposed” the real face of the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government. “I may be an accused in the court but not an accused in the court of Almighty,” he said.
Amritpal is being taken to Assam’s Dibrugarh jail, where eight of his aides are already being held under the National Security Act (NSA). According to officials, the Central government provided a chopper to the Punjab Police to airlift him to Dibrugarh.
The police initially suspected that Amritpal would surrender at the Takht Sri Damdama Sahib in Talwandi Sabo, Bathinda, on Baisakhi (April 14). However, the police prevented his plans by increasing security at Takht as well as at the Golden Temple and Anandpur Sahib.
The police have been conducting a major crackdown against individuals and groups believed to be associated with the Khalistan movement.