Chandigarh: Following ‘surrender’ claims by a cleric of the Rodewal Gurudwara where Amritpal Singh stayed, Punjab top official on Sunday said that the police have “arrested” the ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief after he was surrounded from all sides and had no way out.
Addressing a press conference, Punjab’s Inspector General of Police (IGP), Headquarters, Sukhchain Singh Gill said, “It is very clear that we have arrested him, he was surrounded from all sides and had no way to escape. Whatever he said inside the Gurudwara Sahib it is not right to comment on it.” Punjab IGP Sukhchain Singh Gill said that the police did not enter the Gurudwara Sahib to maintain its sanctity.
“…Amritpal Singh has been arrested by Punjab Police at around 6.45 am today morning in village Rode. A joint operation was conducted by Amritsar Police and the Intelligence Wing of Punjab Police. He was located in village Rode based on operational inputs by Punjab Police. To maintain sanctity, the Police didn’t enter Gurudwara Sahib. He has been taken to Dibrugarh under NSA…,” he said.
#WATCH | Punjab IGP Sukhchain Singh Gill narrates the sequence leading upto to the arrest of Waris Punjab De’s #AmritpalSingh
“…Amritpal Singh has been arrested by Punjab Police at around 6.45 am today morning in village Rode. A joint operation was conducted by Amritsar… pic.twitter.com/0KZzO7LwKx
— ANI (@ANI) April 23, 2023
He said that National Security Act (NSA) warrants were issued against Amritpal Singh and those warrants have been executed this morning.
“NSA warrants were issued against Amritpal Singh and those warrants have been executed today morning…Amritpal Singh has been arrested by Punjab Police around 6.45 am today morning in the village Rode,” said Sukhchain Singh Gill.
#WATCH | “NSA warrants were issued against #AmritpalSingh and those warrants have been executed today morning…Amritpal Singh has been arrested by Punjab Police around 6.45 am today morning in village Rode,” Punjab IGP Sukhchain Singh Gill says pic.twitter.com/Lxl6KOXcB8
— ANI (@ANI) April 23, 2023
“Amritpal Singh has been sent to Dibrugarh, Assam and further action will be taken as per law and order in the case. A warning has been issued against disturbing elements trying to jeopardise the peace and harmony of the state,” he added.
Hours before his arrest, ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief Amritpal Singh addressed the devotees this morning in Rodewal Gurudwara in Punjab’s Moga.
“Amritpal Singh came to the Rodewal Gurudwara on Saturday night. He himself informed the police about his presence and that he will surrender this morning at 7 am,” claimed Singh Sahib Giani Jasbir Singh Rode of Rodewal Gurudwara in Moga, while speaking to ANI over phone.
Amritpal who was absconding since March 18, the day on which a huge crackdown was launched against him and his associates in Punjab, was arrested, the police informed early Sunday morning.
The crackdown came almost over three weeks after Amritpal’s supporters stormed Ajnala police station in Amritsar on February 23, demanding the release of one of his aides, Lovepreet Toofan.
#WATCH | Earlier visuals of Waris Punjab De’s #AmritpalSingh at Gurudwara in Moga, Punjab.
He was arrested by Punjab Police from Moga this morning and is likely to be shifted to Dibrugarh, Assam. pic.twitter.com/2HMxTr50s7
— ANI (@ANI) April 23, 2023
Amritpal was then declared a fugitive by the police.
The Punjab Police had issued a lookout circular (LOC) and non-bailable warrant (NBW) against the ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief about a month ago. His associates were earlier arrested from various parts of the state. Two aides of the radical preacher and Khalistan leader Amritpal Singh were arrested at Mohali in Punjab, in a joint operation by Punjab and Delhi Police on April 18.
On April 15, Punjab Police arrested his close aide Joga Singh from Sirhind in the Fatehgarh Sahib district. Another close aid of the pro khalistani leader, Papalpreet Singh was arrested on April 10, in an operation conducted by Punjab Police and its counter-intelligence unit.