3 min readChandigarhMar 19, 2023 07:50 AM IST
First published on: Mar 19, 2023 at 07:30 AM IST
Sikh preacher and Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh, who continued to elude arrest as Punjab Police launched a major crackdown to arrest him and several members of his outfit, is named in four criminal cases pertaining to spreading disharmony, attempt to murder, attack on police officials and creating obstruction in the lawful discharge of duty by public servants.
A Punjab Police spokesperson said a case dated February 24 stands registered against Waris Punjab De functionaries for storming the Ajnala Police Station. On February 23, Amritpal and his supporters, many of the brandishing swords and guns, broke through barricades and barged into the Ajnala police station and clashed with police for the release of one of the preacher’s associates, Lovepreet Singh alias Toofan Singh, who was arrested on February 17 in a kidnapping case.
The kidnapping case, registered on February 16 at Ajnala police station, was registered on charges of kidnapping, assault and criminal intimidation against Amritpal and some others. The case was registered on the complaint of Varinder Singh, a resident of Salempur in Ropar district who alleged that he was kidnapped by “four to five persons after being beaten up” on February 15 and taken to a place where “Amritpal, his body guards, and some known Singhs namely Bikramjit Singh, Pampalpreet Singh, Kulwant Singh Raonke, Gurpreet Singh, Fauji Rode Pind Wala and another 20 unknown persons were standing”.
Varinder alleged that “Amritpal started using bad language and hurled abuses at me”. He further alleged that two phones he was carrying and Rs 2,000 in cash was snatched from him and he was beaten up for two to three hours.
In the complaint, Varinder said he was “let off at 10 pm” and reached Golden Temple after taking a “Roadways bus”.
He also alleged that Amritpal and his associates said they had “all the details of his family members living in Punjab and abroad” and “threatened to kill them, if I posted anything against them on social media or revealed anything to police or Taksal”.
Earlier, in November last year, in a pre-emptive action, Amritpal was briefly put under house arrest in Singhawala village of Moga keeping in view the law and order situation in the state following Shiv Sena (Taksali) leader Sudhir Suri’s murder outside a temple in Amritsar.
Then, some Hindu organisations and Suri’s family had demanded the arrest of Amritpal as the vehicle of the key accused in the murder – Sandeep Singh Sunny – allegedly sported a sticker of Waris Punjab De.
Members of Quami Insaaf Morcha block the Airport road newar Sohana Gurdwara in Mohali on Saturday. (Express Photo) 
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