The arrest of Amritpal Singh, a man suspected of having links to Pakistan's ISI and trying to become a separatist leader in Punjab, has been a major breakthrough for Indian authorities. Singh had been on the run for 36 days before being caught in a gurdwara in Rode village in Punjab, the birthplace of Khalistani leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. His presence in the village, where he was appointed as the next chief of the outfit 'Waris Punjab De', shows that he was trying to make a statement and modelled himself on Bhindranwale. However, his bumbling escape had worked against his image.
Singh is being flown to Assam's Dibrugarh jail by a special aircraft and had been booked earlier under the National Security Act (NSA). The central agencies are now keen to interrogate him on his links to the Pakistan ISI and how he had been supported by them to come to Punjab from Dubai with the objective of stirring up trouble. Singh will also be questioned about his involvement in drug trade and weapon trade, as it is suspected that he was dealing in drugs and arms.
Singh's arrest was made possible due to the questioning of his wife, Kirandeep Kaur, on April 20th, when she was trying to fly out to London from Amritsar airport. Singh had earlier attempted to surrender on the occasion of Baisakhi earlier this month at the Talwandi Sabo Gurudwara, but the police had ramped up security and vigil there.
Singh's private de-addiction centre had actually become a centre for radicalising youth and converting them into a private militia for him. The agencies are keen to question him on his intentions behind building this private militia and giving them arms training. It will also be probed if he got some outside help during his 36-day long escape and if anti-India forces helped him with logistics during his run during which Amritpal travelled to various states before returning to Punjab.
The agencies will also quiz Singh about his criminal connections to the drugs mafia and gun dealers, as well as his attempts to create law and order problems and trying to disturb social harmony. Singh's earlier act of taking the holy book of the Sikhs, the Guru Granth Sahib, to the Ajnala Police station had earned him the displeasure of the Sikh clergy and a committee inquiry by the Akal Takht.
Overall, Singh's arrest is a major breakthrough for Indian authorities and will help them in their ongoing fight against separatist forces and anti-India elements.
