Dibrugarh(Assam), Apr 22 (PTI) A Punjab police team has arrived here to formally arrest ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief Amritpal Singh again after his detention under the National Security Act (NSA) ends, officials said on Wednesday.
The Khadoor Sahib MP, who has been lodged in Assam’s Dibrugarh Central Jail for the last three years, will remain in the same prison after his arrest by the Punjab Police on Thursday, they said.
A team of Punjab Police from Amritsar (Rural) led by a Deputy Superintendent of Police-rank official, has been camping in Dibrugarh since April 19 to execute the arrest in connection with the Ajnala police station attack case of February 2023.
Amritpal was first taken into custody on April 23, 2023, from Punjab’s Moga district — nearly two months after he and his armed supporters allegedly broke through barricades, barged into the Ajnala police station on the outskirts of Amritsar, and clashed with officers to secure the release of an aide.
He has been lodged in the high-security Dibrugarh Central Jail under NSA since then, with the Punjab government citing serious law and order concerns as justification for keeping him in Assam.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court last week gave its approval to the state government’s request to formally arrest Amritpal in the Ajnala case upon the expiry of his NSA detention, and to continue keeping him in Dibrugarh jail thereafter.
The court also allowed all trial proceedings — including police and judicial remand — to be conducted through video-conferencing, enabling Amritpal to defend himself without being physically transported to Amritsar.
“After his formal arrest, Amritpal Singh will continue to be lodged in Dibrugarh jail. His arrest will pave the way for the trial to finally begin in the Ajnala police station attack case, where he is the prime accused,” said an officer overseeing the case.
Charges have already been framed against 41 accused persons, including Amritpal, under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code — including attempt to murder (Section 307), assault on public servants (Section 353), criminal conspiracy (Section 120B), rioting (Section 148), and unlawful assembly (Section 149) — along with Section 25 of the Arms Act.
Amritpal’s counsel, Harpal Singh Khara, had earlier confirmed that the court permitted the state to proceed with the arrest after the NSA period and conduct subsequent proceedings virtually.
Nine of Amritpal’s associates—Papalpreet Singh, Daljeet Singh Kalsi, Kulwant Singh, Varinder Johal, Gurmeet Singh Bhukhanwala, uncle Harjit Singh, Basant Singh, Gurinder Singh Aujla, and Bhagwant Singh—who were also detained under the NSA and sent to Dibrugarh, were shifted back to Punjab last year after the government chose not to extend their detention. They are currently facing trial in the Ajnala sub-divisional court.
Twelve other cases are pending against Amritpal and his supporters across Amritsar (Rural), Jalandhar, and Moga, linked to incidents of violence and intimidation.
He is also named as the alleged main conspirator in the murder of social media influencer Gurpreet Singh, alias Hari Nau, who was shot dead in Kotkapura on October 9, 2024, while returning home from a village gurdwara.
Amritpal had won the Khadoor Sahib Lok Sabha seat in the 2024 general elections as an independent candidate while incarcerated in Dibrugarh Jail. He was administered the oath of office on July 5, 2024, after granted parole for four days.
This was the only time he attended Parliament, while two subsequent pleas seeking parole to attend Parliamentary sessions were rejected by the High Court, with the Punjab government consistently flagging law and order concerns. PTI COR DG DG RG
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