Amritpal Singh shot to limelight earlier this month after his supporters stormed a police station in Amritsar's Ajnala. The police had said they were attacked in a cowardly manner under the cover of the Palki Sahib of Guru Granth Sahib. They didn't open fire to maintain the sanctity of the Guru Granth Sahib. The attack took place to secure the release of his aide Toofan Singh, a kidnapping accused.
Last week, the Punjab police intercepted his convoy and arrested several of his supporters. He, however, fled with some of his aides.
Singh had been under the radar of the security forces for several months.
He had reportedly opposed the revocation of Article 370. He had said the decision was imposed on the people of Jammu and Kashmir by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He had also spoken against the government during the CAA-NRC protest. He had called it the majority's diktat on the minorities.
A video had also emerged in which he said that people of the Sikh religion mustn't pick the National Flag in their hands as it made them weak. He had called Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale his idol. He had also claimed that Narendra Modi came to power due to polarisation and religion.
According to intelligence sources, Amritpal had been involved in anti-India activities for a long time. Pakistan's ISI had made a poster boy for the pro-Khalistan sentiments in India. Jalandhar's DIG Swapna Sharma recently said in a press conference that he received foreign funding to carry out his alleged nefarious activities.
According to intelligence sources quoted by the media, Pakistani agents had contacted Amritpal in Dubai. He was allegedly sent to Georgia for training in the garb of getting treatment for his mother.
He allegedly came in contact with late actor Deep Sidhu during the farmers' protest and became his follower. When Sidhu formed Waris Punjab De, Amritpal was one of the first people who joined the group.
Deep Sidhu died in a car crash in February 2022. Amritpal Singh took the helm of the group into his own hands. He used to wear western attire in Dubai. However, after he returned to Punjab, he started wearing traditional Sikh attire.
Singh was born in 1993. He did his schooling from the Holy Heart School. He did mechanical engineering from Kapurthala's Lord Krishna Polytechnic. He then left for Dubai to run his family's cargo business.
According to reports, Waris Punjab De member Daljeet Singh Kalsi was allegedly acting as the link between ISI and Amritpal Singh. Kalsi is a native of Amritsar. He founded a shell company named Sterling India Agency. He received Rs 35 crore. Kalsi was arrested by the Punjab Police in Gurugram.
Kalsi was allegedly the link between Singh and the foreign sympathisers of Khalistan. Kalsi had worked in a Punjabi film. He allegedly played a key role in making Singh the leader of the group.
