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Fugitive Khalistan advocate Amritpal Singh was seen in a video released on social media Wednesday in which he urged the Akal Takht jathedar to convene a Sarbat Khalsa, a gathering of Sikhs, at Damdama Sahib in Talwandi Sabo of Punjab this Baisakhi on April 14.
He requested jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh “to take a very tough stand” and appealed to Sikhs to attend the “Sarbat Khalsa in great numbers” to discuss issues facing the community. The appeal was seen as a ploy to whip up sentiments against a sweeping police crackdown since March 18 on Amritpal and the Waris Punjab De group he leads.
‘Cops could have come home if they wanted to nab me’
After fugitive Khalistan advocate Amritpal Singh was seen in a video on Wednesday urging a Sarbat Khalsa, a gathering of Sikhs, Jarnail Singh Sakhira, one of the organisers of the November 2015 Sarbat Khalsa near Amritsar, said the congregation cannot be convened by a single person. “A single person can’t give a call of Sarbat Khalsa. It is against established traditions,” he said.
Punjab police had claimed to have taken into custody 360 people tied to the group, but Amritpal has been giving them the slip.
The latest video followed a 24-hour ultimatum set this Monday by the Akal Takht jathedar, the head of Sikhs worldwide, to the Punjab government to set free all arrested supporters of Amritpal. The government responded Wednesday that 348 of the 360 people picked up during the police action have been released, assuring that the remaining dozen will be out soon too.
Police also informed the Punjab and Haryana HC that Amritpal is evading arrest in spite of a no-bail warrant against him under the National Security Act, as ordered by the Amritsar district magistrate. This was in response to a habeas corpus petition against Amritpal’s alleged “illegal detention” by police at Shahkot in Jalandhar about 10 days ago.
Amritpal was seen in a black turban and a shawl in Wednesday’s video – in sharp contrast to unverified CCTV footage from March 21 that purportedly shows him walking in east Delhi without a turban, long hair let loose and wearing a mask, jacket and sunglasses.
The video appears new as it includes details of Tuesday’s spat between CM Bhagwant Mann and the Akal Takht jathedar. It came as a surprise as unconfirmed reports indicated that he might surrender to police after taking a dip and praying at the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
“If the government wanted to arrest me, they could have come to my home and I would have offered my arrest. But they made it a huge show and they blocked us after gathering a force of thousands and I escaped with the Guru’s blessings,” Amritpal said in the clip.
The police hunt is currently concentrated in and around Marnaian Kalan village of Hoshiarpur after three people travelling in a Toyota Innova abandoned it near a gurdwara late Tuesday and fled, triggering suspicion that it was used by Amritpal and his companions as a getaway vehicle. Police have searched every house in the village and the crop fields as well. The owner of the abandoned car was traced by Ludhiana police to a dera in Sahnewal area. “Questioning is on and details cannot be revealed,” a senior officer said.
Police have also found an abandoned Scorpio at a gurdwara in Kapurthala. They suspect that Amritpal and his associate Papalpreet Singh had reached the town in this vehicle and took Toyota Innova to hit the road again Tuesday.
He requested jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh “to take a very tough stand” and appealed to Sikhs to attend the “Sarbat Khalsa in great numbers” to discuss issues facing the community. The appeal was seen as a ploy to whip up sentiments against a sweeping police crackdown since March 18 on Amritpal and the Waris Punjab De group he leads.
‘Cops could have come home if they wanted to nab me’
After fugitive Khalistan advocate Amritpal Singh was seen in a video on Wednesday urging a Sarbat Khalsa, a gathering of Sikhs, Jarnail Singh Sakhira, one of the organisers of the November 2015 Sarbat Khalsa near Amritsar, said the congregation cannot be convened by a single person. “A single person can’t give a call of Sarbat Khalsa. It is against established traditions,” he said.
Punjab police had claimed to have taken into custody 360 people tied to the group, but Amritpal has been giving them the slip.
The latest video followed a 24-hour ultimatum set this Monday by the Akal Takht jathedar, the head of Sikhs worldwide, to the Punjab government to set free all arrested supporters of Amritpal. The government responded Wednesday that 348 of the 360 people picked up during the police action have been released, assuring that the remaining dozen will be out soon too.
Police also informed the Punjab and Haryana HC that Amritpal is evading arrest in spite of a no-bail warrant against him under the National Security Act, as ordered by the Amritsar district magistrate. This was in response to a habeas corpus petition against Amritpal’s alleged “illegal detention” by police at Shahkot in Jalandhar about 10 days ago.
Amritpal was seen in a black turban and a shawl in Wednesday’s video – in sharp contrast to unverified CCTV footage from March 21 that purportedly shows him walking in east Delhi without a turban, long hair let loose and wearing a mask, jacket and sunglasses.
The video appears new as it includes details of Tuesday’s spat between CM Bhagwant Mann and the Akal Takht jathedar. It came as a surprise as unconfirmed reports indicated that he might surrender to police after taking a dip and praying at the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
“If the government wanted to arrest me, they could have come to my home and I would have offered my arrest. But they made it a huge show and they blocked us after gathering a force of thousands and I escaped with the Guru’s blessings,” Amritpal said in the clip.
The police hunt is currently concentrated in and around Marnaian Kalan village of Hoshiarpur after three people travelling in a Toyota Innova abandoned it near a gurdwara late Tuesday and fled, triggering suspicion that it was used by Amritpal and his companions as a getaway vehicle. Police have searched every house in the village and the crop fields as well. The owner of the abandoned car was traced by Ludhiana police to a dera in Sahnewal area. “Questioning is on and details cannot be revealed,” a senior officer said.
Police have also found an abandoned Scorpio at a gurdwara in Kapurthala. They suspect that Amritpal and his associate Papalpreet Singh had reached the town in this vehicle and took Toyota Innova to hit the road again Tuesday.
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