Amritpal Singh fled Punjab? Woman held in Haryana; gunman arrested
The Haryana Police has arrested a woman who allegedly harboured fugitive ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief Amritpal Singh and his associate Papalpreet Singh at her home in Kurukshetra district, while the Punjab Police has nabbed a gunman of the pro-Khalistan preacher.
The gunman has been identified as Tejinder Singh aka Gorkha Baba, a resident of Punjab’s Mangewal village has been arrested.
But the arrest of Baljit Kaur, a resident of Shahabad area, by the Haryana Police indicates that Amritpal might have fled Punjab.
“We have nabbed the woman, Baljit Kaur, who harboured Amritpal and his associate Papalpreet Singh at her home in Shahabad on Sunday. The woman has been handed over to Punjab Police,” news agency PTI quoted Kurukshetra superintendent of police Surinder Singh Bhoria as saying.
Gill, a resident of Mangewal village in the Khanna area of Ludhiana district, was deputed in the security of Amritpal, who is on the run since a police crackdown on his outfit ‘Waris Punjab De’ began on Saturday, said Khanna deputy superintendent of police (Payal) Harsimrat Singh, PTI reported.
Gill used to display weapons in pictures and videos on social media without having an arms licence. An FIR against him has been registered under IPC Section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), the DSP added.
The investigation has revealed that Gill was also involved in the Ajnala incident and Ajnala police will separately take action against him, PTI reported citing officials.
Storming Ajnala police station by Amritpal supporters
Scores of supporters of Amritpal Singh had stormed the Ajnala police station near Amritsar with swords and guns in February to secure the release of Lovepreet Toofan Singh, an associate of the radical preacher, raising fears about the return of pro-Khalistan militancy to the state that borders Pakistan.
Last week, Punjab police launched a crackdown against Amritpal and his outfit.
Several Amritpal supporters arrested
Several of his supporters have been either detained or arrested during the police action and the government has invoked the stringent National Security Act against some of them, including Amritpal Singh, who has managed to give a slip to the police.
Photographs and CCTV footage, that have emerged on social media, have shown the fugitive using several vehicles, including a Mercedes, a Brezza SUV, and a motorbike, to escape with some of his aides.
Police said they have recovered the motorbike near a canal in Jalandhar and efforts are on to nab the Khalistan sympathiser.
The state government had suspended mobile internet and SMS services in parts of Punjab after the police crackdown began. While it has lifted the restrictions gradually in most areas such as Moga, Sangrur, Ajnala sub-division and Mohali, the restrictions are still in place in some other areas.
On Thursday, the state home affairs department said the curbs have been extended in Tarn Taran and Ferozepur districts till Friday noon “in the interest of public safety, to prevent any incitement to violence and to prevent any disturbance of peace and public order”.