What is Waris Punjab De, Khalistan sympathiser Amritpal Singh's outfit? Know link with actor Deep Sidhu

Khalistan sympathizer and Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh managed to escape from the Punjab Police on Saturday evening when the authorities cracked down on his rally, and was seen fleeing the scene of the crackdown on a motorcycle.

The Punjab Police have launched a manhunt to nab Amritpal Singh, who leads the radical outfit in the state called Waris Punjab De. 78 of Singh’s supporters were arrested by the police, and a plan has been hatched to nab Amritpal over the next 24 hours.

Amritpal’s radical outfit Waris Punjab De has been wreaking havoc in parts of the state for several years and is one of the outfits which spread Khalistani ideology in the state. The members of Waris Punjab De have been known to clash with the police often, and have been linked with many illegal activities.

What is Amritpal Singh-led group Waris Punjab De?

Waris Punjab De is a radical group that originated in Punjab and is known to be very active in Amritsar. Waris Punjab De was founded by Deep Sidhu, who was an actor and political activist.

Deep Sidhu, whose real name was Sandeep Singh, passed away in a road accident in February 2022, while he was on his way to Bathinda from Delhi. The outfit was founded by Sidhu in 2021, just ahead of the Punjab assembly elections, and was often described as a “poll gimmick” by political parties.

After Deep Sidhu’s death, Khalistan sympathizer Amritpal Singh took over Waris Punjab De and decided to mold the outfit according to the ideology of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who was an Indian militant and is described as the face of the Khalistan movement.

While Waris Punjab De was started as an organization to help those in need in the state, Amritpal’s takeover turned it into a radical group being used to spread Khalistani ideology in Punjab, as claimed by deceased actor Deep Sidhu’s family.

Meanwhile, Amritpal’s family has dismissed the claims made by Deep Sidhu’s family, saying that the alleged Khalistan sympathizer has taken over the group to spread the Sikh ideology and eradicate the drug menace from Punjab.

READ | Amritpal Singh crackdown: What Punjab Police is doing to nab Waris Punjab De chief