Timeline of events leading to arrest of radical Sikh preacher Amritpal Singh
Singh had been on the run since a police crackdown on his group on March 18, when he managed to evade capture in the Jalandhar district.
Chandigarh, April 23: After a lengthy manhunt, Amritpal Singh, the radical Sikh preacher, was arrested from the ancestral village of Khalistani leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale in the Moga district of Punjab. This arrest came 37 days after the Punjab Police launched a search for the 'Waris Punjab De' chief. Singh had been on the run since a police crackdown on his group on March 18, when he managed to evade capture in the Jalandhar district.
Since the police crackdown, several of Amritpal Singh's associates and supporters have been arrested and sent to Assam's Dibrugarh Central Jail. In the days leading up to his arrest, Singh had appeared in two videos and an audio clip on social media, in which he claimed that he was not a fugitive and urged the Akal Takht to call a "sarbat khalsa" congregation to discuss issues related to the Sikh community.
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Amritpal Singh and his associates have been booked under numerous criminal cases, including those related to spreading disharmony among classes, attempted murder, attacking police personnel, and creating obstructions in the lawful discharge of duty by public servants.
The timeline of Amritpal's events leading to his's arrest:
September 29, 2021: Sandeep Singh Sidhu, popularly known as Deep Sidhu starts ‘Waris Punjab De’ as a pressure group to “fight for the rights of Punjab and protect its culture”
February 15, 2022: Deep Sidhu, who shot into the national limelight during farm protests, killed in a road accident
September 29, 2022: Amritpal Singh appointed 'Waris Punjab De' chief by his supporters months after Deep Sidhu's death
February 16, 2023: FIR registered against Amritpal Singh and Lovepreet Singh, alias Toofan, in Ajnala, for allegedly kidnapping, thrashing, and attempting to murder
February 17, 2023: Toofan arrested by the Ajnala Police
February 23, 2023: Amritpal and his supporters storm Ajnala Police Station and lay siege to pressurise cops to release Toofan. Under pressure, the police agree to release his aide Toofan.
February 24, 2023: Toofan released from the judicial custody. Police secretly register an FIR under attempt to murder, assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharging his duty.
February 25, 2023: DGP chairs a meeting of senior officials and discusses possibilities of action against Amritpal and his aides. The plan was also discussed with the chief minister.
March 2, 2023: Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann along with DGP Punjab Gaurav Yadav meets Union home minister Amit Shah in New Delhi. A foolproof plan to act against Waris Punjab De Chief and his aides was given a go-ahead by the home minister. Shah also assures Mann of every possible help from the Centre, including sending Central Armed Forces.
March 17, 2023: As the G-20 meeting concludes in Amritsar, senior police officials are directed to implement a state-wide crackdown against Amritpal and his aides.
March 18, 2023: Police teams of more than eight districts start chasing a cavalcade of Amritpal from his native district Amritsar to Bathinda. The cavalcade was intercepted at Mehatpur of Jalandhar district and seven aides of Amritpal were apprehended. However, Amritpal manages to give a slip. On the same day, the four of his supporters are airlifted to Dibrugarh Central Jail of Assam, after the Punjab government invokes National Security Act against them.
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