After 37 days of evading police arrest, separatist leader Amritpal Singh Sandhu was on Sunday arrested after he surrendered at a gurudwara in Punjab’s Moga. A video doing rounds on social media platforms showed the Khalistani preacher giving a speech at the gurudwara before he handed himself in.
The Waris Punjab De chief has been eluding the police since March 18 by switching vehicles and changing appearances. Amritpal Singh and members of the separatist outfit he leads face several charges including attempt to murder, attack on police personnel, spreading disharmony among classes and creating obstructions in lawful discharge of duty by public servants.
The latest charge was filed under the Arms Act after police found a huge stock of guns from his aides. According to news agency PTI, he has maintained close connections with Pakistani intelligence agency ISI and several other terrorist groups headquartered abroad. The government labels him a Khalistan-Pakistan agent.
Here’s a timeline of events that led to Amritpal Singh’s arrest:
February 23
Radical activist Amritpal Singh, accompanied by hundreds of supporters with swords and guns, broke through barricades and stormed into Ajnala police station in Amritsar, demanding the release of his associate – Lovepreet Singh Toofan – arrested in an alleged kidnapping case registered against Amritpal and 25 others.
The clash forced the Punjab Police to agree to release the associate. An FIR was registered against Amritpal and six associates in the case. They had also staged a protest earlier at Dhilwan toll plaza in Kapurthala district where they were stopped by police from marching towards Amritsar.
March 18
The Punjab Police launched a massive crackdown against Amritpal Singh and members of Waris Punjab De in response to the clashes at Ajnala police station. Police personnel from seven districts chased Amritpal and his associates and reportedly surrounded him at Mehatpur village in Jalandhar's Shahkot.
However, it was revealed later, as per a PTI report, that Amritpal managed to give a slip to the approaching police team, which intercepted his cavalcade in Mehatpur village in Jalandhar district.
March 19 to March 23
By now, Amritpal was declared a fugitive and reports of his sightings in Punjab and Delhi began surfacing on the internet. Some reports said that he could have escaped to neighbouring Nepal. Then a purported footage of him walking around in a new look surfaced on the internet.
The Punjab Police also released photos showing 7 different appearances of Amritpal that he possibly used to escape, including some showing him in casual attire without his signature turban, beard, or blue cloak.
Amritpal Singh and his close aide and mentor Papalpreet Singh were harboured by a woman in a house in Kurukshetra, Haryana. They are said to have stayed there on the night of March 19. Punjab and left the next day.
On March 23, the woman, Baljeet Kaur, was arrested in this regard. A few other associates were also arrested during this time.
March 28
In a CCTV footage, Amritpal was seen roaming in Hoshiarpur when he reportedly returned to Punjab along with his key close aide and mentor Papalpreet Singh. He evaded police arrest again there.
March 29-30
Amritpal Singh released two videos while escaping the police dragnet. On March 29, the Waris Punjab De chief appeared in a video for the first time since the police crackdown, appealing to his followers and supporters in India and elsewhere to unite with him and "fight against the injustice".
This was during raging protests by pro-Khalistani supporters in London and other places abroad.
On March 30, Singh released another video on YouTube, saying he was “not afraid of the government” and that he will not surrender, dismissing reports saying he might give in. “I am not a fugitive, but a rebel. I have not run away. I will appear in front of the world soon. I am not afraid of the government. Do whatever you want to do," he had said.
April 10
Papalpreet Singh, who has been with the radical Sikh leader since the escape on March 18, was arrested from Amrtisar's Kathu Nangal area.
April 14
There were rumours that Amritpal Singh may surrender at Takht Damdama Sahib Gurudwara in Bathinda. But nothing like that happened.
The police then made tight security arrangements for the Baisakhi festival at Talwandi Sabo “for the safety of devotees”. However, it earned the wrath of Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh who accused the Punjab government of causing panic.
Punjab Police also widened its search to Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh to nab the radical preacher who had been on the run for nearly a month now.
April 15
Police got their hands on Joga Singh – another one of Amritpal’s close associates – from Sirhind in Fatehgarh Sahib. He was in direct contact with the WPD chief and had reportedly arranged a shelter and vehicles for him in Uttar Pradesh's Pilibhit and in Punjab during the hideout.
April 23
Amritpal Singh “surrendered” before the Punjab Police at a gurudwara in Rode village in Punjab’s Moga district. Police confirmed he has been arrested and is being transferred to Dibrugarh central jail in Assam.
Eight of Amritpal's associates – Daljit Singh Kalsi, Papalpreet Singh, Kulwant Singh Dhaliwal, Varinder Singh Johal, Gurmeet Singh Bukkanwala, Harjit Singh, Bhagwant Singh and Gurinderpal Singh Aujla – are also being held at the Dibrugarh central jail. They have been charged under the stringent National Security Act (NSA)
