Chandigarh: The Punjab Police have invoked the stringent National Security Act (NSA) against five of Khalistan activist Amritpal Singh Sandhu’s associates including his uncle Harjit Singh for indulging in activities “prejudicial to the security of India and the maintenance of public order”.
While four of his associates have already been detained in a jail in Assam’s Dibrugarh under NSA, Harjit Singh, who surrendered early Monday, is being taken to Assam.
The National Security Act (NSA), 1980, empowers the central and state governments to detain an individual “to prevent him/her from acting in any manner prejudicial to the security of India, the relations of India with foreign countries, the maintenance of public order, or the maintenance of supplies and services essential to the community it is necessary so to do”.
Addressing a press conference in Chandigarh Monday, Inspector General (IG) of Police Sukhchain Singh Gill said that whenever Amritpal is arrested, he is also expected to be charged under NSA.
Gill further said that the Act provides for a person to be detained in custody for a maximum period of one year with a review every three months, during which there is no need to produce him/her before any court of law. He added that within three weeks of a person being detained under NSA, the details of the case have to be presented before a special NSA board constituted in the state.
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The five associates
Harjit Singh: According to police sources, Harjit Singh, Amritpal’s uncle, was involved in the transport business in the UK and Canada, but joined his nephew after he came to India in August last year. Harjit played the role of manager and was also in charge of Amritpal’s finances, it is learnt.
Daljeet Kalsi: Punjabi actor Daljeet Kalsi, also known as Jeet Kalsi, was originally associated with actor-turned-activist Deep Sidhu. Kalsi, police sources said, was instrumental in handing over the command of Sidhu’s outfit ‘Waris Punjab De’ to Amritpal following Sidhu’s death in an accident last year.
Kalsi has also remained the head of a multi-level marketing company and was actively involved in business in 2013, the sources added.
Gurmeet Singh Bukkanwal: Bukkanwal was also a former associate of Deep Sidhu who joined Amritpal. He is believed to be among the group of 10 close associates of Amritpal, who has been with him from the day he arrived in India on 20 August last year. He was made the Waris Punjab De in-charge for Moga, police sources said. On the day of the Ajnala police station siege, Bukkanwal was taken into preventive custody near Harike as he was moving towards the police station with his men.
Basant Singh Fauji: Another former associate of Sidhu, Basant was attached to Amritpal initially as a bodyguard, sources said. However, he later started looking after a drug de-addiction centre at Jallu Khera, Amritpal’s native village.
Bhagwant Singh: Bhagwant Singh alias Pradhanmantri Bajeke is a “outspoken Sikh radical” who was on and off associated with Deep Sidhu and then Amritpal, said sources in the police. He is from Moga and was using social media to air his views about various Sikh issues using the term ‘Pradhan Mantri’.
A case against Bhagwant was registered in Moga under the Arms Act in November last year. He also has other cases registered against him in Moga including an attempt to murder case from 2015. He is out on bail in all cases, police sources said. A video of him running from the police in his fields Saturday has gone viral.
Statewide hunt continues
Meanwhile, Amritpal continues to evade the police even three days after they launched a statewide operation to nab him and his associates for various criminal activities including attempting to create disharmony.
The number of persons arrested in the statewide operation has gone up 114, which includes his uncle and driver Harpreet Singh. The two surrendered along with a Mercedes in which Amritpal and his uncle were allegedly travelling to Bhadaur in Barnala when they were accosted by the police.
Amritpal’s uncle Harjit Singh told mediapersons that during the chase, he had stopped the car and gotten off to talk to the police, and when he got back into the car, Amritpal was missing and he has no idea of his nephew’s whereabouts since then.
IG Gill said that preliminary questioning and investigation following the arrests of Amritpal’s associates point towards his links with Pakistan intelligence agency ISI. “There is also enough evidence to establish that Amritpal and his men were receiving funding from sources abroad and although the amounts being gathered were small it totalled up to a huge amount which cannot be shared at this stage,” he added.
Gill further said that the police are also investigating the sources of income of the people who had given high-end SUVs to Amritpal and his men. “From the preliminary investigation it is very clear that the persons against whose names these vehicles are registered do not have the kind of resources that could allow them to purchase the vehicles,” he added.
According to the IG, there is evidence to suggest that Amritpal had established an “armed unit” called the ‘Anandpur Khalsa Fauj’, the initials of which were painted outside his residence in Jallu Kheda as well as on the weapons being used by his bodyguards.
“AKF is printed on all those elements which had something to do with weapons and arms; it has also been found printed on bulletproof jackets being used by his guards. Right now the evidence points towards AKF being limited only to his armed guards but further investigation is on,” Gill added.
Asked about the possibility of the de-addiction centres run by Amritpal being used as training grounds for anti-social elements including trained militants, Gill said it was too early to establish a connection of that kind.
The 6 FIRs against Amritpal & Co
According to the police, as of now, six FIRs stand registered against Amritpal and his men. These include one dated 16 February, registered on the complaint of Chamkaur Sahib resident Varinder Singh, in which he had alleged that Amritpal and his men had kidnapped and assaulted him.
The second FIR against Amritpal is related to the 23 February Ajnala police station siege. Another two FIRs have been lodged against him and his aides for making speeches and statements “that can cause disharmony among classes”, said Gill.
The IG said a fresh case was lodged against them following the seizure of illegal weapons from Amritpal’s vehicles Saturday, and another case has been lodged against them for obstructing government servants from doing their duty during his escape.
The police have also cracked down in a major way on the social media activities of Amritpal and his supporters. The Twitter account of Sangrur MP Simranjit Singh Mann, an alleged Khalistan supporter, has been suspended. Hundreds of Facebook accounts of Amritpal’s supporters have been deleted overnight.
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