Chandigarh/New Delhi: Ten days after Khalistani preacher Amritpal Singh was last spotted in a village in Hoshiarpur, there is no update on the latest whereabouts of the controversial head of Waris Punjab De, who has been on the run from the Punjab Police since 18 March.
Top sources in the Punjab Police say Amritpal seems to have gone back to hiding in Uttar Pradesh where he has some supporters among the Sikhs of Pilibhit and Lakhimpur Kheri areas.
There has also been no word from Amritpal since March end, when he, in an audio and two video clips, had appealed to the jathedar (chief) of the Akal Takht to convene a sarbat Khalsa, or general assembly of the Sikhs, on Baisakhi to discuss the issues being faced by the Sikh community.
According to sources in the intelligence, the audio and video notes released by Amritpal on and after 29 March were found to have been uploaded to a YouTube channel from a device, the IP address of which has been traced to outside India.
“The videos were not uploaded from a device in India,” the source said, adding that “It is possible that Virtual Private Network (VPN) was used to hide the IP address.” VPN service helps encrypting internet traffic, disguising the user’s online identity, making it difficult for third parties to track the user’s activities online.
On Thursday, the jathedar said that a three-day religious congregation (samagam) — which takes place every year around Baisakhi — will be held at Takht Damdama Sahib from 12-15 April. Baisakhi is on 14 April this year.
Speaking to media persons at Damdama Sahib Friday, jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh skipped any mention of the sarbat Khalsa but reiterated that Amritpal should surrender.
While he has maintained silence on Amritpal’s demand on convening the sarbat Khalsa — which is being looked upon as a virtual no from the Akal Takht — there has been opposition to the call from other Sikh bodies.
Radical Sikh outfit Dal Khalsa Wednesday held a press conference saying that the time wasn’t right for convening a sarbat Khalsa because of lack of unity among the Sikh bodies over the matter.
“We are of the considered opinion that neither the atmosphere is conducive for convening a sarbat Khalsa nor is there any ground for it,” said Kanwar Pal Singh, Dal Khalsa General Secretary.
Harmeet Singh Kalka, head of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), also held a press conference Wednesday stating that whatever decision is to be taken by the Akal Takht jathedar should be taken only after consultation with other Sikh bodies, including the DSGMC.
He added that a sarbat Khalsa is generally called when the entire Sikh community is falling apart, which doesn’t seem to be the case right now.
Members of the Panth Sewak Collective, too, opposed the move. Addressing a press conference in Jalandhar Wednesday, the body said, “Sarbat Khalsa does not mean a large collection of Sikhs. There is a process involved in its being convened. Representatives of the Sikh panth participate in it for a specific agenda,” said Daljit Singh of the Collective.
It was not just the Sikh religious bodies, but the police, too, saw trouble in Amritpal’s demand.
“He might issue another video message once it is clear that a sarbat Khalsa is not being convened. But what after that? He is quickly running out of options. We are confident that he will be arrested before Baisakhi,” a senior police officer, part of the special team put in place to nab Amritpal, told ThePrint on condition of anonymity.
Expecting Amritpal to return to Punjab before Baisakhi, multiple police teams are keeping a watch on bus stands and scores of deras across the state.
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Hunt for Amritpal
Amritpal, accompanied by his mentor Papalpreet Singh, had managed to give police the slip in Hoshiarpur on 27 March — the second time that the radical preacher managed to hoodwink the police.
On 18 March, when the Punjab Police had launched a massive crackdown on Amritpal and his men, he had managed to escape. However, a large number of his close aides and associates were arrested.
According to the police, Amritpal and Papalpreet managed to reach a Dera in Pilibhit from where they returned to Punjab on 27 March and took shelter in a Gurdwara at a village in Nadala.
Police sources said the Nadala Gurdwara head Gurmeet Singh was trying to get in touch with the Akal Takht jathedar and negotiate a possible surrender by Amritpal.
However, before a surrender could be worked out, the police swooped down on the village on 27 March, but Amritpal and Papalpreet managed to flee in an Innova. Following a chase, the two abandoned the vehicle at Marnaian Kalan village in Hoshiarpur.
The car was recovered on 28 March and its driver Joga Singh was arrested on 31 March from Sahnewal near Ludhiana.
Police said both Papalpreet and Amritpal parted ways at the Marnaian Kalan village. CCTV footage of Papalpreet from inside a gurdwara near Marnaian on 29 March was also found by the police.
Habeas Corpus petitions
Waris Punjab De Thursday moved multiple Habeas Corpus petitions in the Punjab and Haryana High Court before a vacation bench alleging that at least five associates of Amritpal, including his uncle Harjit Singh, had been detained under the National Security Act by the Punjab Police at the Dibrugarh jail in Assam.
The bench questioned the Waris Punjab De advocate, Imaan Khara, how a Habeas Corpus petition was maintainable when the whereabouts of the accused were known. It also came down heavily on advocate Khara for making the jail superintendent a party in the petitions by name.
The bench asked the advocate to either move the Supreme Court or the high court in Assam for any relief from the Assam jail authorities.
These petitions will now come up for hearing on 11 April, along with another Habeas Corpus petition filed by Khara with regard to Amritpal Singh.
(This is an updated version of the story.)
(Edited by Richa Mishra)