Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh was arrested by the Punjab Police at 6.45 am on Sunday morning from the Gurudwara of Rode village in Moga district after 36 days on the run.
After this, the Punjab Police took him to the Air Force Station in Bathinda. From there he was taken to Assam.
At quarter to four in the afternoon, the Punjab Police handed over Amritpal to the Dibrugarh Jail Authority.
On the other hand, after the arrest of Amritpal, heavy police force was deployed in Moga district.
Police conducted flag marches in Rode village, Bathinda and many other cities of Punjab. Granthi of Sant Khalsa Gurudwara in Rode village told that Amritpal had reached the village on Saturday night.
Before his arrest on Sunday morning, he wore five kakars (hair, saber, comb, kada and briefs) and addressed the people through discourse.
Rode village from where Amritpal was caught. It was here that Amritpal was betrothed to become the head of Waris Punjab De. Amritpal wanted to make a show of strength by surrendering with a crowd of supporters. Sunday was chosen for this.
Amritpal’s close friends had told the Punjab Police about his surrender plan. The police feared that the atmosphere might deteriorate if the crowd gathered.
So the police team reached the gurdwara in plain clothes and arrested him early in the morning.
Dr. Sukhchain Singh Gill, IG Headquarters of Punjab Police said, ‘Police had created pressure since 35 days. The Intelligence Wing had input about Amritpal’s presence in Rode village. He was cordoned off, but he was inside the Gurdwara Sahib. Seeing the decorum, the police did not go inside. Amritpal Singh was asked to come out, then he was arrested’.
Before the arrest, during the discourse at the Gurudwara of Rode village, Amritpal said, ‘ This is the birth place of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. At the same place, we are increasing our work and are standing at a turning point. Everyone has seen what is happening since a month. We have fought and will fight on this land. Those who have false cases, will face them. This arrest is not the end, it is the beginning.’
Amritpal’s parents have said that they were not in contact with Amritpal before his arrest. It is a matter of pride that the son surrendered. Now those who have been caught illegally by the government, they should be released. Also said that he will go to Dibrugarh to meet Amritpal.
According to police sources, Amritpal Singh wanted to surrender on the day of Baisakhi i.e. April 14, when the plan of surrender on Takht failed.
He had planned to surrender at Takht Damdama Sahib at Talwandi Sabo in Bathinda. On coming to know about this, the Punjab Police had tightened the security in Dumdama Sahib.
After this he reached Rode village on April 22, where the police caught him.
A case has been registered against Amritpal under NSA. He was absconding for 36 days. It attacked the Ajnala police station in Punjab’s Amritsar district on 23 February demanding the release of one of its supporters.
Since then he had come on the radar of the police. On March 18, the police laid siege to arrest him, but he was absconding.
This time, on receiving information about the presence of Amritpal in the Gurudwara of Rode village, Amritsar Rural SSP Satinder Singh and Punjab Police Intelligence IG reached there on Sunday morning itself. The police team arrived in plain uniform and arrested Amritpal early in the morning.
Amritpal’s NRI wife Kirandeep Kaur was stopped by the immigration officials at Amritsar airport on April 20 itself.
She was going to London. Kirandeep Kaur was questioned for 3 hours at Amritsar’s Guru Ramdas International Airport.
After this Kirandeep Kaur was sent back to Jallupur Kheda village which is Amritpal’s native village.
