Editor's Pick: Amritpal held at last Punjab, moved to Assam

After a month-long crackdown, the police on Sunday finally arrested the 30-year-old pro-Khalistan preacher Amritpal Singh, who had been contributing to growing disquiet in the border state of Punjab. The police arrested Mr. Amritpal, leader of the Waris Punjab De (WPD) outfit from Moga district, even as reports claimed he had surrendered. He was then taken to the Dibrugarh jail in Assam amid tight security. The police had been on a manhunt since March 18, three weeks after Mr. Amritpal’s supporters stormed the Ajnala police station in Amritsar, demanding the release of his aide Lovepreet Toofan. The police at the time, had to give in to their demand, as the preacher’s gun and sword wielding could not have been allowed to incite trouble. Mr. Amritpal gained notoriety last year when he took over as the head of the WPD, a social organisation established by actor-turned-activist Deep Sidhu, who actively participated in the year-long farmers’ agitation against the three farm laws. Mr. Amritpal had openly said he drew “inspiration” from Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, the militant leader who was killed in 1984. Often dressing like Bhindranwale and surrounding himself with weapon-wielding guards, he also made a public remark this year about how “the Khalistan movement cannot be stopped from flourishing”. His detention under the National Security Act (NSA) had been imminent for days. Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Headquarters, Sukhchain Singh Gill said Mr. Amritpal was arrested around 6.45 a.m. from Rode, the village of Bhindranwale. Responding to reports that Mr. Amritpal had surrendered, Mr. Gill said the radical preacher was “arrested based on operational inputs”. “There was no escape route left for him. He was arrested,” he said. Nine of Mr. Amritpal’s aides have also been lodged in the Dibrugarh jail while he faces several charges under the Indian Penal Code. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said the law was taking its own course in the case of Mr. Amritpal, who was a “stooge in the hands of forces inimical to the State and country”, and that no action was being taken against innocent people. “The State could have arrested Amritpal on March 18 itself, but they never wanted any bloodshed and today the separatist leader has been arrested without firing a single bullet,” he said. Mr. Amritpal’s arrest does help calm the nerves in the State where a string of recent incidents had contributed to a sense of unease and rekindled fears of militancy, which had rocked Punjab in the 1980s. Besides the preacher’s public statements and storming of the Anjala police station, concerns over the presence of sleeper cells in Punjab had also been rising. Last year saw the National Investigation Agency arrest alleged terrorist and pro-Khalistan operative Bikramjit Singh after his extradition from Austria. He was wanted in connection with a bomb blast in Tarn Taran on September 4, 2019, which had left two persons dead. While Mr. Amritpal’s detention will help to some extent in quieting the debate over the revival of the secessionist movement, Mr. Mann’s AAP government, which is being targeted by Opposition parties for not having a grip on law and order, will have to prove its credibility during this sensitive time. The Hindu’s Editorials Defamation perils: on the Rahul Gandhi case No small change: on the raising of returns on small savings schemes The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz The Yamuna river is considered to be ecologically dead in which city? Mathura Delhi Firozabad Agra To know the answer and to play the full quiz, click here. [logo] Editor's Pick 24 April 2023 [The Hindu logo] In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [Arrow]( [Open in browser]( [Mail icon]( [More newsletters]( Amritpal held at last Punjab, moved to Assam After a month-long crackdown, the police on Sunday [finally arrested the 30-year-old pro-Khalistan preacher Amritpal Singh]( who had been contributing to growing disquiet in the border state of Punjab. The police arrested [Mr. Amritpal]( leader of the Waris Punjab De (WPD) outfit from Moga district, even as reports claimed he had surrendered. He was then taken to the Dibrugarh jail in Assam amid tight security. The police had been on a manhunt since March 18, three weeks after Mr. Amritpal’s supporters stormed the Ajnala police station in Amritsar, demanding the release of his aide Lovepreet Toofan. The police at the time, had to give in to their demand, as the preacher’s gun and sword wielding could not have been allowed to incite trouble. Mr. Amritpal gained notoriety last year when he took over as the head of the WPD, a social organisation established by actor-turned-activist Deep Sidhu, who actively participated in the year-long farmers’ agitation against the three farm laws. Mr. Amritpal had openly said he drew “inspiration” from Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, the militant leader who was killed in 1984. Often dressing like Bhindranwale and surrounding himself with weapon-wielding guards, he also made a public remark this year about how “the Khalistan movement cannot be stopped from flourishing”. His detention under the National Security Act (NSA) had been imminent for days. Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Headquarters, Sukhchain Singh Gill said Mr. Amritpal was arrested around 6.45 a.m. from Rode, the village of Bhindranwale. Responding to reports that Mr. Amritpal had surrendered, Mr. Gill said the radical preacher was “arrested based on operational inputs”. “There was no escape route left for him. He was arrested,” he said. Nine of Mr. Amritpal’s aides have also been lodged in the Dibrugarh jail while he faces several charges under the Indian Penal Code. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said the law was taking its own course in the case of Mr. Amritpal, who was a “stooge in the hands of forces inimical to the State and country”, and that no action was being taken against innocent people. “The State could have arrested Amritpal on March 18 itself, but they never wanted any bloodshed and today the separatist leader has been arrested without firing a single bullet,” he said. Mr. Amritpal’s arrest does help calm the nerves in the State where a string of recent incidents had contributed to a sense of unease and rekindled fears of militancy, which had rocked Punjab in the 1980s. Besides the preacher’s public statements and storming of the Anjala police station, concerns over the presence of sleeper cells in Punjab had also been rising. Last year saw the National Investigation Agency arrest alleged terrorist and pro-Khalistan operative Bikramjit Singh after his extradition from Austria. He was wanted in connection with a bomb blast in Tarn Taran on September 4, 2019, which had left two persons dead. While Mr. Amritpal’s detention will help to some extent in quieting the debate over the revival of the secessionist movement, Mr. Mann’s AAP government, which is being targeted by Opposition parties for not having a grip on law and order, will have to prove its credibility during this sensitive time. The Hindu’s Editorials [Arrow][Defamation perils: on the Rahul Gandhi case]( [Arrow][No small change: on the raising of returns on small savings schemes]( The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz The Yamuna river is considered to be ecologically dead in which city? - Mathura - Delhi - Firozabad - Agra To know the answer and to play the full quiz, [click here](. 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