The Waris Punjab De leader remained tight-lipped on where he was hiding since the police began a crackdown on him and his supporters on March 18.
Amritpal Singh, a leader of the Waris Punjab De movement
New Delhi: On Wednesday, March
29, a video recording of Amritpal Singh emerged in which he expressed his
belief that his arrest was under the control of the divine power. However, he
refrained from revealing any details about his whereabouts since the police
initiated an investigation against him and his associates on March 18.
First video of Amritpal surface after crackdown operation
— Vivek Gupta (@journoviv) March 29, 2023
pic.twitter.com/zabCKDlb41
Amritpal Singh, a leader
of the Waris Punjab De movement, has been on the run from the police since the
crackdown on his organization began in mid-March. In a recent video statement,
he expressed confidence in his ability to evade the police and called on Sikhs
to hold a panthic gathering during the upcoming Baisakhi festival to discuss
community issues.
Amritpal criticized the police's actions and refused to disclose his whereabouts or whether he plans to surrender. He claimed that he and his aides were not afraid of being arrested and accused the police of having "no intention" of arresting them. "If this was so, why were we not arrested from our home?" he asked.
According to Amritpal, when the police started chasing him on March 18, he initially thought they were trying to stop him and his supporters from launching the second leg of Khalsa Vaheer, a religious procession that he had used to mobilize people. However, he soon realized that their intention was
"malicious" and that he and his aides were in danger.
The Aam Aadmi Party government's actions, he said, were reminiscent of the Congress-led crackdown in the early 90s, in which hundreds of Sikhs were allegedly "disappeared" and killed in encounters. Amritpal referred to a statement by the leader (jathedar) of the Akal Takht, the highest temporal
seat of Sikh power, who issued an "ultimatum" to the Punjab government to release all Sikhs arrested after the crackdown on Amritpal began.
The police have not responded to the video, but there are reports that Amritpal may have returned to Punjab. While the police confirmed that he had fled to Haryana after the search operation began, the Indian Embassy in Nepal claimed on March 27 that he was hiding in that country.
Recent reports suggest that Amritpal was spotted along with his aides in Hoshiarpur, in the Doaba region of Punjab, on Tuesday evening. He managed to flee again after abandoning an Innova car near Gurdwara Bhai Chanchal Singh in Marnaian Kalan village in Hoshiarpur-Phagwara road. However, there are conflicting reports about his whereabouts, and it is unclear whether he plans to surrender.
Also Read: NPCI Imposes PPI Fees on Merchant Transactions Above ₹2,000 on UPI, Effective April 1st, 2023
Harjeshwar Singh, a history professor at Sri Guru Gobind Singh College, expressed skepticism about the police's ability to capture Amritpal. "If Amritpal was spotted in Punjab again, how is he easily crossing inter-state and international borders?" he asked. "This entire operation, to my mind, appeared a big sham. Either our security agencies - whether state or central - are totally incompetent or there is more than meets the eye."
Meanwhile, the government continues to suspend Twitter accounts of Sikhs in India and abroad. The Twitter account of Punjabi singer Babbu Maan was withheld recently, as was Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh's six-day old tweet pertaining to a meeting of Sikh representatives he called last Sunday
to discuss the situation emerging out of the crackdown on Amritpal Singh.
However, there are
now reports that Amritpal may have returned to Punjab, and was spotted along
with his aides in Hoshiarpur on Tuesday evening. He was 'chased' but managed to
flee again after abandoning an Innova car near Gurdwara Bhai Chanchal Singh in
Marnaian Kalan village on the Hoshiarpur-Phagwara road.
The media has aired visuals from Marnaian Kalan village, showing a door-to-door search operation conducted by police and paramilitary forces. Several newspaper reports also quoted senior police officials sharing intel about Amritpal's movements in Hoshiarpur district, followed by the issue of a
high alert in nearby areas.
It has been speculated that Amritpal planned to surrender before the police at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. However, this appears highly speculative right now, even as police held a flag march and search operation in the area around the Golden Temple.
In response to the situation, Harjeshwar Singh, a history professor at Sri Guru Gobind Singh College, told The Wire that the entire episode has begun to look ridiculous. "If Amritpal was spotted in Punjab again, how is he easily crossing inter-state and international borders?" he asked.
"The latest reports suggest that Amritpal escaped in Hoshiarpur on foot, which would be funny if it the issue was not so serious. Was there no soul who saw him and did he walk so far that hundreds of policemen and search vehicles failed to nab him?" Harjeshwar added.
He continued to say, "This entire operation, to my mind, appeared a big sham. Either our security agencies - whether state or central - are totally incompetent or there is more than meets the eye."
Also Read: Election Day for Karnataka Assembly Set on May 10, Vote Counting on May 13
Meanwhile, the government's actions to indiscriminately suspend Twitter accounts of Sikhs, in India and abroad, have continued. The Twitter account of Punjabi singer Babbu Maan was withheld this morning, and sometime later, Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh's six-day old tweet was also withheld. The tweet had a poster pertaining to a meeting of Sikh representatives he called last Sunday to discuss the situation emerging out of the crackdown on Amritpal Singh.
The situation surrounding the crackdown on Amritpal Singh remains unclear. The Waris Punjab De leader has appealed for Sikhs to hold a Sarbat Khalsa during the Baisakhi festival next month to discuss issues related to the community. Meanwhile, the government's actions, including the suspension of Twitter accounts, have sparked criticism from the Sikh community.