Amritpal Singh declared fugitive, manhunt on to nab him

Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh is still on the run from the Punjab police and a search is on to trace him. The Punjab Police has declared him a fugitive. Amritpal's ancestral village, Jallu Kheda, has been turned into a fortress and section 144 has been imposed in various districts to avoid protests and violence. A high alert has been sounded in Punjab and the neighbouring Himachal, which shares borders with Punjab. "He is now a fugitive and we are looking for him and we will soon arrest him," Jalandhar Police Commissioner Kuldeep Singh Chahal told reporters near Nakodar in Jalandhar late Saturday night. Chahal said six to seven gunmen of Amritpal Singh have been arrested. Police have arrested 78 members of his outfit 'Waris Punjab De,', while several others have been detained for questioning, Four arrested aides of Amritpal Singh were brought to Dibrugarh.

Police on Saturday launched a "massive state-wide cordon and search operations (CASO)" in the state against the members of the 'Waris Punjab De' group, headed by Singh, against whom several criminal cases have been registered. A police spokesperson said that the followers of 'Waris Punjab De', or WPD, are involved in four criminal cases relating to spreading disharmony among classes, attempt to murder, attack on police personnel, and creating obstructions in the lawful discharge of duties of public servants. Dubai-returned Amritpal Singh was last year anointed the head of 'Waris Punjab De', which was founded by actor and activist Deep Sidhu who died in a road accident in February last year. The internet suspension is the state will continue till Monday noon to prevent the spread of misinformation and rumours through social media, officials said. Police have urged citizens to maintain peace and not share any doctored videos. Officials said Amritpal Singh has been maintaining close links with Pakistani intelligence agency ISI and terrorist groups based in foreign countries.