Dibrugarh: A team from the Amritsar (Rural) Police has arrived in Dibrugarh to formally arrest Khadoor Sahib MP and Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh in connection with the February 2023 Ajnala police station attack case, as his three-year detention under the National Security Act (NSA) is set to expire on Thursday.
Led by a Deputy Superintendent of Police-rank officer, the team is awaiting his release from Dibrugarh Central Jail, where he has been lodged since April 23, 2023, following his arrest in Moga district after a 35-day manhunt.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court recently permitted the state to arrest Amritpal in the Ajnala case and retain him in the Assam jail, citing concerns over law and order if he is shifted to Punjab.
The court directed that all proceedings, including remand, be conducted via video conferencing from a trial court in Amritsar, allowing his legal defence without requiring his physical presence.
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Amritpal and around 40 others face charges under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including attempt to murder (Section 307), assault on public servants (Section 353), rioting (Sections 148 and 149), criminal conspiracy (Section 120B), as well as provisions of the Arms Act, based on an FIR registered on February 24, 2023.
In the Ajnala incident, Amritpal and his supporters allegedly stormed a police station on the outskirts of Amritsar, clashing with personnel and demanding the release of an aide, Lovepreet Singh. The group reportedly breached barricades, leading to a tense standoff.
Nine of his associates—Papalpreet Singh, Daljeet Kalsi, Kulwant Singh, Varinder Johal, Gurmeet Bhukhanwala, his uncle Harjit Singh, Basant Singh, Gurinder Aujla and Bhagwant Singh—were shifted to Punjab from Dibrugarh Central Jail last year after their NSA detention ended and are currently facing trial.
Despite being in custody, Amritpal Singh contested and won the Khadoor Sahib seat as an Independent candidate in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, securing over 1.9 lakh votes.
He took oath as a Member of Parliament on July 5, 2024, during his only appearance in Parliament so far. Requests for parole to attend subsequent sessions were denied on security grounds.
Apart from the Ajnala case, Amritpal faces more than a dozen FIRs across districts including Amritsar Rural, Jalandhar and Moga.
These include allegations related to the October 9, 2024 murder of influencer Gurpreet Singh, also known as Hari Nau, in which he has been named as a key conspirator.
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