Amritpal Singh, a radical preacher who had been on the run since March 18, today surrendered before Punjab police in Moga. He has been arrested by the police and taken to the central jail in Assam's Dibrugarh. Confirming the arrest, Punjab Police asked people to maintain peace and not spread fake news. "Amritpal Singh arrested in Moga, Punjab. Further details will be shared by Punjab Police. Urge citizens to maintain peace and harmony, Don't share any fake news, always verify and share," the police tweeted. Police said that 29-year-old surrendered at a gurdwara in Rode village in Moga district. "We had special inputs that Amritpal Singh was present in Rode village, he was surrounded and had no chance to escape," said IG Punjab Police Sukhchain Singh Gill. Pictures of the radical preacher while being taken into custody have surfaced on social media. He can be seen a wearing traditional white robe. Amritpal Singh was then shifted to Assam's Dibrugarh, where eight of his aides are already being held under the National Security Act, which allows detention up to a year without any charge. Amritpal Singh, who the government describes as a Khalistani-Pakistan agent, has been active in Punjab for the past few years and is often seen escorted by armed supporters. He claims to be a follower of the Khalistani separatist and terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and is known as "Bhindranwale 2.0" among his supporters. Punjab Police had launched a crackdown on Amritpal Singh and members of his outfit 'Waris Punjab De' on March 18, a month after his supporters stormed a police station in Ajnala. In February, Amritpal Singh and his supporters, some of them brandishing swords and guns, broke through barricades and barged into the Ajnala Police Station on the outskirts of Amritsar city, and clashed with police for the release of one of his aides. The action against him was a coordinated effort between Aam Aadmi Party-ruled Punjab, the center, and BJP-governed Assam, said officials. He and his associates were booked under several criminal cases related to spreading disharmony among classes, attempt to murder, attack on police personnel and creating obstructions in the lawful discharge of duty by public servants. Intelligence agencies said Amritpal Singh has been sourcing weapons from Pakistan through its spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence and trying to divide Punjab on communal lines. Amritpal Singh had been allegedly leading young people towards "gun culture". The 30-year-old had been on the run for more than a month after evading arrest in Punjab on March 18. His campaign brought back memories from the 1980s of a separatist insurgency and subsequent crackdown in Punjab in which thousands of people were killed. Amritpal Singh, who said he supports the Khalistan movement for a separate Sikh homeland, claims to draw inspiration from Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, a preacher accused by the Indian government of leading an armed insurgency in the 1980s. The manhunt for Amritpal Singh spanned several parts of northern India, including the capital Delhi and the states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Nepal had also put him on its surveillance list at India's request. Police first attempted to arrest Amritpal Singh on March 18 — thousands of personnel were deployed and traffic blockades were set up across the state to check vehicles. But he escaped in a dramatic car chase which was live-streamed by some of his associates. Within hours of Amritpal Singh escape, authorities blocked Internet services in Punjab restricted the movement of people, and arrested hundreds of his supporters. Many of them were later released. Sikh groups in Canada held widespread protests against the government action in Punjab. Protests were also held outside the Indian High Commission in London, where demonstrators removed the Indian flag. India had strongly condemned the incident and summoned the UK's deputy high commissioner in New Delhi to register its protest. In San Francisco, pro-Khalistan supporters vandalized the Indian consulate, calling for Amritpal Singh to be freed. — Agencies
