Impact of Amritpal arrest on Khalistani separatism - 10 points

When Punjab Police launched a massive manhunt for Amritpal Singh, Khalistani protesters stormed Indian embassies in a wave of protests across different countries the world over. But soon the Waris Punjab De chief could not get the expected support from Sikh groups within Punjab. What is in store for Khalistan movement after the latest arrest of Amritpal?

Chandigarh (Punjab) : The arrest of Khalistani revivalist Amritpal Singh threw up big challenges for the Punjab Police in the past 36 days. Now Amritpal is in the hands of the police and he has been arrested by the Punjab police from Rode village of Moga. Does it mean an end to the surge of Khalistani separatism that was witnessed in both Punjab and several countries abroad amidst the manhunt for Amritpal?

Amritpal Singh was declared a fugitive by the Punjab Police on March 18 when he escaped from a police dragnet. He has been on the police radar ever since the Ajnala police station and subsequent confrontation with the police. Hailing from a village in Punjab, Amritpal went and worked as a driver in Dubai but later came over to Punjab to take over as Waris Punjab De chief after the death of its founder and went on to become a Khalistani separatist leader.

However, certain cases and instances of Amritpal and his aides getting involved in abductions, arson and confrontation with police authorities have garnered wide attention. Amritpal also failed to muster support from the Sikh community and their highest temporal authority, Shri Akal Takht Sahib. After this, the arrest of Amritpal Singh has turned out to be a foregone conclusion regardless of stray incidents of support from Khalistani activists here and there.

Here're 10 points on Amritpal arrest:

1. Supporters of Waris chief burnt down furniture of a Gurudwara Sahib at Jalandhar in December 2022. At that time, Amritpal was present at the spot and he claimed that putting up chairs inside a holy shrine was like disrespecting Sikhism. Similar incidents took place at several other Gurudwaras as well.
2. The Ajnala incident became a flashpoint in his career when a crowd led by Amritpal Singh came to lodge a protest but turned violent and stormed the police station there.
3. The trigger for the storming of the Ajnala police station by Amritpal was the arrest of his close aide Lovepreet Singh Toofan in a case filed by a man for abducting and beating him. Amritpal was also accused in this case.
4. A native of Jallupur Khera village in Baba Bakala Tehsil, Amritpal Singh studied at Polytechnic College, Kapurthala, and then went to Dubai and used to work as a driver there.
5. Amritpal Singh first hit national headlines when he took over as Waris Punjab De chief after the death of its founder Deep Sidhu, who was killed in a road accident.
6. It was only after he started organising activities as Waris Punjab chief that Amritpal came on the radar of the police and he was being watched from all sides.
7. As Waris chief, Amritpal Singh started Khalsa Vehir awareness march to protect the youth of Punjab from drugs. This Khalsa march was taken from Sri Akal Takht Sahib to Sri Anandpur Sahib, the birthplace of Khalsa.
8. Amritpal's aggressive rhetoric in meetings and setting fire to furniture at Gurudwara Sahibs evoked strong reactions from both political parties and the Sikh community.
9. Days after a manhunt was launched for Amritpal, Khalistani protesters took down the Tricolour at the Indian High Commission in London on March 22 this year.
10. On April 8, the Akal Takht Jathedar appealed to Amritpal Singh to surrender and made an appeal to the government not to create an atmosphere of fear.