Punjab cops on Saturday detained Khalistani ideologue Amritpal Singh after a massive hunt with over 50 vehicles chasing him, reported Zee News citing sources. Singh was detained from Punjab’s Nakodar.
The cops chased the vehicle of Amritpal Singh and reportedly surrounded him at Mehatpur village in Jalandhar’s Shahkot. Six of the aides were arrested from Jalandhar. Internet services have been restricted in several districts across the state to maintain peace and order.
“All mobile internet services, all SMS services (except banking & mobile recharge) & all dongle services provided on mobile networks, except the voice call, in the territorial jurisdiction of Punjab shall be suspended from 18th March (12:00 hours) to 19th March (12:00 hours) in the interest of public safety,” ANI quoted Department of Home Affairs & Justice, Punjab.
Amritpal Singh leads an outfit called “Waris Punjab De”, an organisation started by actor and activist Deep Sidhu, who died in a road accident in February last year.
Singh grabbed attention recently when his supporters stormed a police station to protest against the arrest of his key aide, kidnapping accused Lovepreet Singh. He blamed the Punjab Police for the violence in Amritsar during the protest.
Police officials later clarified that they were unable to control the crowd as they were carrying a physical copy of Sri Guru Granth Sahib, also called Bir in Punjabi, as a shield.