Monday, 23 December 2024
Monday, 23 December 2024
Donning a flowing white ‘chola’ and a navy blue turban and often escorted by armed supporters, radical preacher and Khalistan sympathiser Amritpal Singh has been quite active in Punjab for some time.
On Thursday, the 29-year-old’s supporters, some of them brandishing swords and guns, broke through barricades and stormed a police station in Ajnala on the outskirts of Amritsar city, demanding that Lovepreet Singh alias Toofan, an accused in a case involving kidnapping, be released. A case was registered against Amritpal Singh and his 30 supporters for allegedly kidnapping and thrashing Barinder Singh, a resident of Chamkaur Sahib in Rupnagar district.
Three policemen were hurt during the clash, officials said. Earlier in the day, Amritsar Rural's Superintendent of Police Satinder Singh told reporters that they (Amritpal side) have given evidence, according to which he (Lovepreet Singh), was not present at the spot, referring to the alleged kidnapping incident.
Dubai-returned Amritpal Singh, often described as a Khalistan sympathiser, was recently anointed the head of 'Waris Punjab De', the organisation founded by actor and activist Deep Sidhu who died in a road accident in February last year. Earlier, Amritpal Singh worked in his family-owned transport business. He was made the head of the organisation that Sidhu had formed “to protect the rights of Punjab and raise social issues”.
Earlier on Thursday, Amritpal's supporters had staged a protest in the middle of the road at Dhilwan toll plaza in Kapurthala district when they were stopped by police from marching towards Amritsar. Tight security had been put in place in Ajnala police station a day after the clash. Radical preacher Amritpal Singh's aide and kidnapping accused Lovepreet Singh walked out of a jail here Friday, hours after a court in Ajnala ordered his release based on an application by the police.
