Tag: Amritpals

Akal Takht Jathedar, SGPC criticise authorities for stopping Amritpal’s wife at airport

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Amritsar: The Akal Takht Jathedar and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee on Friday criticises the authorities for stopping fugitive radical preacher Amritpal Singh’s wife Kirandeep Kaur at an airport here from boarding a flight to the UK.
In a video statement issued here, Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh said that stopping Kaur at an airport in Amritsar was not right from any angle as she was headed to her parental home.
Governments shouldn’t create an atmosphere of panic in the region and Kaur should not have been stopped, said the Jathedar of Akal Takht, which is the supreme temporal seat of the Sikhs.

Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the apex religious body of the Sikhs, also condemned the act of stopping Kaur at the international airport.
SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami alleged that the Punjab government and the police administration are creating an atmosphere of terror among the youth.
Kaur was stopped from boarding a flight to London at the Sri Guru Ram Dass International Airport here on Thursday.
She was questioned by the immigration authorities and some other officials for more than three hours and thereafter, asked to return along with some relatives who had come to see her off at the airport.
Police had visited Kaur’s house numerous times earlier as well and questioned her and her family, Singh said.

“Moreover, she is a British national. She didn’t commit any crime and if the government wants to ask or enquire anything from her, they should respectfully visit her residence,” said the Akal Takht Jathedar.
Dhami, in a statement, said that the history of Punjab is of protecting and respecting the daughters and sisters, “but it is not right for the present government to stop daughters like this while suspecting them”.
“Such acts do not suit the government which disrespects the beliefs of Punjab,” he said.
Dhami said that it is the right of every citizen to visit their family and go anywhere.
“Detaining someone without charge is a direct violation of human rights and the government should avoid such acts,” he said.
Singh married Kaur, a UK-based Non-Resident Indian, on February 10.
Kaur, who is a British citizen, reached the airport at around noon to board the flight to London but was stopped by the immigration staff and later, the Punjab Police was informed.
More than a month after a police crackdown against Amritpal Singh and his aides, the radical preacher continues to remain elusive even as a manhunt to nab him is underway.
Police launched the crackdown against Singh and members of his outfit ‘Waris Punjab De’ on March 18.
He and his associates were booked under several criminal cases related to spreading disharmony among classes, attempt to murder, attack on police personnel and creating obstructions in the lawful discharge of duty by public servants.
Singh got married to Kaur in a simple ceremony at Jallupur Khera, his native village in Amritsar.
The ‘Anand Karaj’ (marriage as per Sikh rituals) was held with a limited gathering of family members from both sides at a gurdwara in Baba Bakala in Amritsar.
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#Akal #Takht #Jathedar #SGPC #criticise #authorities #stopping #Amritpals #wife #airport
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 21, 2023
Amritpal’s mentor Papalpreet served I-T notice over ‘unaccounted’ income

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Chandigarh: Papalpreet Singh, the brain behind radical preacher and pro-Khalistan supporter Amritpal Singh, has been served a notice by the Income Tax department to explain the source of Rs 4.48 lakh credited into his account, officials said here on Friday.
Papalpreet, who has been on the run along with Amritpal since the Punjab Police launched a crackdown on March 18, faced the I-T department action under section 147 of the Income Tax Act, under which an assessing officer has discretionary powers to reopen the proceedings when there are reasons to believe that some of the income has escaped assessment.
The Income Tax notice was recovered from the house of Baljeet Kaur at Shahabad in Kurukshetra in Haryana where Papalpreet and Amritpal had taken shelter on March 19 and 20 before fleeing from there after changing their looks and leaving behind the sacred “Siri Sahib”, the officials said, adding a devout Sikh would not leave behind his kirpan.
Papalpreet and Amritpal had told the woman that “someone would be collecting the bag” left behind by them, but the plan failed as the Haryana Police raided the house and recovered it.
The Income Tax notice, issued on March 14 this year, had asked Papalpreet to submit his reply by March 20. He has not filed his response as he has been guiding the radical preacher since March 18, the officials said.
The I-T department informed Papalpreet that his assessment had been flagged as “High Risk-CRIU (Case Related Information Upload” and asked him to explain the unaccounted income of Rs 4.48 lakh.
An internal note of the I-T department stated that Papalpreet is a journalist based out of Amritsar who runs the website “Punjab Shield”, which is essentially a Khalistani propaganda site.
Rejecting his reply of February 14 where Papalpreet had stated that he earned approximately Rs 8,000 to Rs 20,000 per month from Youtube and Rs 15,000 from dairy business,” the Income Tax department asked him to submit credit transactions along with documents supporting his claim.

The Income Tax department made it clear that Papalpreet had not submitted his returns for the financial year of 2019-20 during which he had a credit entry of Rs 4,48,868 in his bank account and that needed to be explained.
Papalpreet, who is alleged to be in close contact with Pakistan’s ISI and was taking instructions from it, has been one of Amritpal Singh’s mentors who had been advising him on various issues.
The first images of Papalpreet were seen him driving a motorcycle with Amritpal riding pillion. The two-wheeler was found deserted at Phillaur in Jalandhar.
The officials said Papalpreet Singh was taking instructions from the ISI to raise the bogey of Khalistan in Punjab and was working to plunge the state into the dark days of terrorism.
They said it was on Papalpreet’s instructions that Amritpal changed his appearance from a radical Sikh preacher to an ordinary person and finally abandoned the motorcycle at a canal in Phillaur.
Papalpreet faces four criminal cases, include one under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and for the Ajnala police station incident.
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#Amritpals #mentor #Papalpreet #served #notice #unaccounted #income
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 24, 2023
Amritpal’s uncle moved to Dibrugarh jail in Assam

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Dibrugarh: Radical preacher Amritpal Singh’s uncle Harjit Singh was brought to Assam by the Punjab Police on Tuesday morning, a senior official said.
Harjit Singh, who was moved to the Dibrugarh jail by road from Guwahati, is the fifth person linked to Amritpal’s ‘Waris Punjab De’ (WPD) to be brought to the Northeastern state, he said.
A cavalcade of seven security vehicles took Harjit Singh from the Guwahati airport to the Dibrugarh central jail where he was lodged at 7.10 am, the official said.
He gave himself up before the police in the early hours of Monday.
Harjit Singh, who officials say helped his nephew gain control over the accounts of WPD, is among the five people slapped with the National Security Act (NSA), which allows the preventive detention of anyone who could threaten national security or public order.
On Sunday, four WPD members were brought to the Dibrugarh central jail after the Punjab government on Saturday began a major crackdown on the outfit, headed by Khalistan sympathiser Amritpal, who is wanted in several criminal cases. They are Daljit Singh Kalsi, Bhagwant Singh, Gurmeet Singh and ‘Pradhanmantri’ Bajeka.
Over 100 people have been arrested so far in the crackdown, according to Punjab Police.
Heavy security has been deployed at the Mohanbari airport in Dibrugarh, fuelling speculation that more WPD members could be brought to the BJP-ruled state from Punjab, around 2,500 km away.

Harjit Singh along with driver Harpreet Singh surrendered before the police near Bullandpur gurdwara in Jalandhar’s Mehatpur area. Punjab’s Deputy Inspector General of Police (Border Range) Narinder Bhargav was among the officers at the spot.
In a video shot then, Harjit Singh was seen producing his licensed 32-bore pistol and cash amounting to Rs 1-1.25 lakh that he was carrying in a Mercedes. The car was later seized and the two men taken away by the Amritsar Rural police, officials said.
Assam’s Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Prashanta Bhuyan reviewed the security arrangements in Dibrugarh on Monday.
Bhuyan refused to share details, stating, “These are sensitive matters related to the internal security of the state.”
The Punjab Police crackdown on WPD began weeks after Amritpal and his supporters stormed the Ajnala police station near Amritsar to secure the release of an arrested associate.
The episode had raised fears over the possibility of the return of Khalistani militancy to the state that borders Pakistan.
WPD was formed by singer-activist Deep Sandhu. Amritpal took over as its chief a month after his death last year.
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#Amritpals #uncle #moved #Dibrugarh #jail #Assam
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 21, 2023
Sources suggest Amritpal’s case may be handed over to NIA

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New Delhi/Chandigarh: A source in the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has suggested that the case of Amritpal Singh, the self-styled radical Sikh preacher and head of ‘Waris Punjab De’, may be transferred to the Central probe agency.
“There are possibilities that we might take over the matter. There is a terror link connected to Pakistan’s ISI and therefore the Home Ministry can decide to transfer the case to the NIA,” the source said.
As of now, Punjab Police are looking into the matter. Amritpal is currently on the run and there are speculations that he might have fled abroad.
Punjab Police are planning to book Amritpal under the provisions of National Security Act (NSA), sources privy to the development told IANS.
In the interest of public safety, the Punjab government has extended the suspension of SMS and mobile internet services, except voice call, till Monday noon.
Amritsar Deputy Commissioner of Police, Parminder Singh Bhandal, told the media that the police have set up 100 checkpoints in Amritsar and its outskirts to physically check vehicles. CRPF jawans are accompanying the policemen at the checkpoints.
Anticipating disturbance of peace, a large contingent of paramilitary force has been deployed outside Amritpal Singh’s native village, Jallupur Khaira in Amritsar district.
A special team of police, comprising personnel from seven districts, had followed the separatist leader’s convoy while he was on his way to Jalandhar’s Shahkot tehsil on Saturday.

“Amritpal’s vehicle was chased for 20-25 km. His vehicle was at the front. However, he managed to escape by changing his vehicle,” Police Commissioner Kuldeep Singh Chahal said.
Section 144 has been imposed in many districts of the state. The police have also increased security across Punjab. In addition, all vehicles are being checked on the Punjab-Haryana border.
Meanwhile, Amritpal’s father, Tarsem Singh, has told the media that the police should have arrested him before he left the house.
“We don’t have any information about his whereabouts. They carried out a search at our residence for 3-4 hours, but did not find anything illegal,” he said.
He also termed the police action as “unjustified”, claiming that his son was weaning the youth off drugs.
“Why are the police not acting against criminals and those involved in drugs trade,” he asked.
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#Sources #suggest #Amritpals #case #handed #NIA
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 19, 2023
Centre closely monitoring Punjab after Amritpal’s aide released from jail

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New Delhi: The Centre is “closely monitoring” the situation in Punjab after supporters of preacher and Khalistani sympathiser Amritpal Singh stormed a police station to secure the release of an aide, officials said on Friday.
The protesters armed with rifles and swords broke into Ajnala police station in the outskirts of Amritsar city and virtually forced a commitment from the officials of withdrawing kidnapping case filed against Lovepreet Singh ‘Toofan’.
Union Home Ministry officials said the Punjab government had already been asked to keep a close watch on Singh’s activity.
They said “the Centre was closely monitoring the situation in Punjab” as it is a sensitive border state and any incident which is violation of law and has wider ramifications is a matter of concern.
However, it is not immediately known whether the central government has sought a report from the Punjab government on the incident and the prevailing situation in the state.
On Thursday, Amritpal Singh’s supporters, some of them brandishing swords and guns, broke through barricades and barged into a police station in Ajnala extracting an assurance from the police that kidnapping case accused Lovepreet Singh will be released.
‘Waris Punjab De’ chief Amritpal Singh and his supporters also brought a vehicle carrying a copy of the Guru Granth Sahib for holding “amrit sanchar” (a Sikh ceremony) at the police station.
Following the incident, Amritpal Singh’s aide and kidnapping accused Lovepreet Singh ‘Toofan’ walked out of jail in Ajnala on Friday.

Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav said the demonstrators had used the holy Guru Granth Sahib as a shield and attacked police personnel in a cowardly manner, leaving six of them injured.
Despite giving an assurance of a peaceful demonstration, the protesters used sharp-edged weapons.
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#Centre #closely #monitoring #Punjab #Amritpals #aide #released #jail
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 24, 2023