Pro-Khalistan leader and Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh is currently on the run as the Punjab Police has launched a massive manhunt against him, in an effort to nab him and his supporters due to various criminal charges filed against him.
As Amritpal Singh got declared a fugitive by the Punjab government, the security forces are now uncovering his plans for the future, and how he was turning the youth of Punjab into illegal and anti-national activities by brainwashing them.
While Amritpal Singh had claimed that he is trying to help the youth of Punjab stay off drugs, security agencies and intelligence reports have suggested that he was at de-addiction centres in the state to stockpile weapons and carry out suicide attacks.
Amritpal Singh, who had returned from Dubai last year allegedly at the behest of Pakistan's ISI and Khalistan sympathisers residing overseas, was using rehab centres in Punjab to brainwash youth to become "khadkoos" or human bombs, to carry out suicide bombing attacks across the country.
During the ongoing investigation, several arms and ammunition meant for the so-called Anandpur Khalsa Front (AKF), a creation of Amritpal Singh, were seized. Also, police confiscated uniforms and jackets, officials said, adding that the weapons and ammunition seized from the radical Sikh preacher's car bore "AKF" marking on them.
Further, the police also ended up arresting 78 people from Amritpal’s outfit Waris Punjab De, which was being used to spread Khalistan ideology across Punjab. Weapons have allegedly been stockpiled in rehab centres run by Waris Punjab De, and a gurdwara in Amritsar.
The youths in these rehabs were being brainwashed into turning towards “gun culture” in Punjab and were being taught the ideology of terrorist Dilawar Singh, who acted as a human bomb and killed former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh.
Amritpal has been accused of glorifying the use of weapons and promoting gun culture in Punjab, giving rise to a separatist Khalistani mentality which has led to multiple disturbances in the country.
(With inputs from PTI)
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