Punjab Police cracks down against Amritpal Singh

In Punjab,Amritpal Singh, self-styled Sikh preacher and Khalistan sympathiser was reportedly detained near Jalandhar's Nakodar on Saturday, However, Punjab Police has so far neither confirmed or denied whether Singh has been apprehended or not. Media reports said that a special team of the state police, comprising personnel from seven districts, had followed the separatist leader's convoy while he was on his way to Jalandhar's Shahkot tehsil. Meanwhile, Punjab Police asked people to maintain peace and harmony. "Request all citizens to maintain peace & harmony Punjab Police is working to maintain Law & Order. Request citizens not to panic or spread fake news or hate speech," it said in a tweet.

The Police reportedly detained six of his associates. Supporters of the Waris Punjab De chief shared unconfirmed videos of the police giving chase to his cavalcade in Moga district and the vehicle speeding to Shahkot near Jalandhar. As per reports, six of his aides were earlier detained in Jalandhar and they are being questioned at an undisclosed location. Mobile internet services were restricted in several districts of Punjab and the curbs will continue till  Sunday. 

All mobile internet services, all SMS services (except banking & mobile recharge) & all dongle services provided on mobile networks, except the voice call, in the territorial jurisdiction of Punjab shall be suspended from 18th March (12:00 hours) to 19th March (12:00 hours) in… https://t.co/NN3LeXoRZt pic.twitter.com/z3vXg4v158

— ANI (@ANI) March 18, 2023

Last month, Amritpal Singh and his supporters broke through the police barricades and stormed the Ajnala Police Station brandishing weapons. The supporters clashed with police personnel, demanding the release of one of his aides arrested for rioting.