Amritpal Singh’s 7 Aides Brought to Punjab, Remanded in Custody

These associates were released from Assam's Dibrugarh Central Jail recently but were immediately rearrested by the Punjab Police for another case.

The Punjab government did not opt to reinstate the National Security Act (NSA) after their initial detention phase.

The re-arrest is connected to an assault of a police outpost near Amritsar which happened in 2023, and the police availed a transit remand from a district court in Dibrugarh.

Friday was marked by the seven associates facing the court at Ajnala, where they were remanded to police custody till March 25.

Authorities said that the detainees were brought to court under tight security. DGP Gaurav Yadav maintained that they will be chargesheeted legally on their supposed participation in the 2023 Ajnala police station attack.

The Punjab Police had conducted their transit remand and, with the right legal procedures in hand, brought them from Dibrugarh to Ajnala.

A special team of 25 Punjab Police officers were stationed in Dibrugarh for days to ensure the smooth transfer of Singh's aides, who were arrested together with the WPD leader for nearly two years.

Seven out of the arrested suspects who have been released include Basant Singh of Daulatpura Ucha village in Moga, Bhagwant Singh popularly known as Pradhan Mantri Bajeke belonging to Moga's village Bajeke, Gurmeet Singh Gill, alternatively Gurmeet Bukkanwala of Moga's village of Bukkanwala, Sarabjeet Singh Kalsi, alternately Daljeet Singh Kalsi residing at West Punjabi Bagh, New Delhi, Gurinderpal Singh Aujla, alternatively Guri Aujla from Phagwara, Harjeet Singh, alias Chacha, and residing of Jallupur Khera village, Amritsar, and finally Kulwant Singh Dhaliwal but just termed as Kulwant Singh of village Rauke Kalan at Moga. 

They were all released from Dibrugarh Central Jail in recent days because their term under the National Security Act (NSA) had expired. 

Amritpal Singh, the leader of the 'Waris Punjab De' faction, and nine of his supporters have been arrested in Dibrugarh jail under the NSA for two years.

He had fought the 2024 Lok Sabha election as an independent candidate and won the Khadoor Sahib constituency.

Amritpal Singh, who modeled himself after the late Khalistani militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, was apprehended in Rode village, Moga on April 23, 2023, after a month-long manhunt.

He had previously evaded police in Jalandhar district on March 18, 2023, by changing vehicles and disguises.

The Punjab Police launched a crackdown following the Ajnala incident on February 23, 2023, when Amritpal Singh and his supporters, who were wielding swords and firearms, allegedly pushed past police barricades and fought officers to organize the release of his associates.

He and his supporters were booked on charges of promoting enmity, attempt on life, assaulting police officials, and obstruction of public servants in the performance of their duty.