Khalistan activist Amritpal Sandhu in hospital after blackout at Muktsar mela
India

Khalistan activist Amritpal Sandhu in hospital after blackout at Muktsar mela

Sandhu travels through Punjab, espousing a separate Sikh state and demanding the release of Sikh prisoners arrested during militancy.

   
File Photo: Amritpal Singh Sandhu | ThePrint

File Photo: Amritpal Singh Sandhu | ThePrint

Chandigarh: Sikh preacher and Khalistan activist Amritpal Singh Sandhu was admitted in an Amritsar hospital Sunday evening after he blacked out at a public gathering in Muktsar.

The 29-year-old complained of uneasiness after the episode at the Maghi Mela, where he addressed the turnout.

Sources said his condition was stable although there was no official statement on his medical status. Sources further added that Sandhu had complained of recurring headaches in the last few days.

One of his followers, Paramjit Singh Akali, went live on Facebook and informed supporters that Sandhu was fine and undergoing treatment. He warned people from believing in rumours.

Sandhu has been traversing Punjab, leading a ‘Khalsa Vaheer’ or a Khalsa March aimed at spreading Sikhism and winning youth away from drugs. He has also openly espoused the cause of Khalistan, a separate Sikh state while encouraging Sikh youth to weaponise themselves.

At the Maghi Mela, Sandhu announced he would start the second phase of the “vaheer” from Muktsar Sahib, called the “Bandi Chhod Khalsa Vaheer”. He said this phase would demand for the release of Bandi Singhs or Sikh prisoners.

Several Sikh organisations, including the Akal Takht and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), have demanded the release of Sikh prisoners who were jailed during the militancy and have completed the mandatory term of their sentences.

As part of the “vaheer”, he was to participate in the “Kaumi Insaaf Morcha” which was started in Mohali by radical Sikh organisations last week for the release of these prisoners.


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