Ashish Ranjan
In response to reports that fugitive pro-Khalistan preacher Amritpal Singh has been detected in Punjab, the leader of the Waris Punjab De released a live video on Wednesday declaring that the government’s action against him “was not about his arrest, but rather an attack on the Sikh community.”
He added that if the government had wanted to arrest him, they could have done so from his residence. “If administrations desired to apprehend me. They could have apprehended me at my residence; I would have submitted. But because of God’s grace, I was able to escape the government’s attempts to trap me,” he is heard saying in the video.
“At the time, I believed the police were attempting to prevent me from reaching Muktsar Sahib in Malwa (to begin Khalsa Vaheer),” Amritpal explained. “Because the internet was down, I was unaware of the situation.” Now that I am addressing Sangat, I have learned of the recent events. The Punjabi government has exceeded the boundaries of oppression.
The manner in which Sikh community youths have been incarcerated has not spared mothers and children. Youths with disabilities were also sent to prison. It is identical to what happened to Sikhs under Beant Singh’s authority, he said.
Amritpal asserted that nobody can harm him and that he has no fear of being apprehended. “I appreciate all the Sangat who protested on my behalf around the globe. But we must recognize that this is not about my incarceration. This is an assault against the Sikh community. “I have never feared arrest, nor do I fear it now,” he said.
He went on to say that he had asked Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh to conduct a Sarbat Khalsa (meeting) on the occasion of Baiskahi at Takht Damdma Sahib Talwandi Sabo “to dispel the fear created by the government in the minds of the people.”
“I am in excellent spirits. No one could ever injure me. It was grace from God. God holds the key to my apprehension, he concluded.However, Amritpal failed to mention a separate state or Khalistan.
Earlier in the day, police sources reported that Amritpal had returned from Uttarakhand and visited Anandpur Sahib in Ropar.Talwandi Sabo Security forces in the Talwandi Sabo region of Punjab’s Bathinda district. The police also recovered a vehicle believed to have been used by the leader of the Waris Punjab De.
According to police sources, security has been increased around the Golden Temple amid rumors that Amritpal may attempt to surrender there. Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh is also present at Damdama Sahib, where security has been increased.
Earlier on Tuesday evening, a squad of state police pursued an SUV after receiving information that Amritpal had sneaked into Punjab. However, the SUV’s occupants abandoned the vehicle near a gurdwara in Hoshiarpur and escaped.
It is suspected that Amritpal was traveling in the Toyota Innova with Papalpreet Singh and other associates.
Also Read | Amritpal Singh seen without turban in Delhi on March 21
Amritpal has been on the run since March 18, when police launched a crackdown against him and his organization. While Punjab Police have apprehended and detained a number of his associates and invoked the stringent National Security Act against at least eight of them, including Amritpal, he has continued to evade authorities.
