Sikh Separatist Leader Captured by Indian Police Following Extensive Manhunt

 

Indian police apprehended Amritpal Singh, a separatist leader who had been evading arrest since last month, for his involvement in the revival of calls for an independent Sikh homeland and the secession of India's northern Punjab state. Singh gained national attention in February when his supporters stormed a police station in Ajnala, Punjab, armed with wooden batons, swords, and guns, demanding the release of a jailed associate.

Singh was captured in Moga, Punjab, after surrendering to the police following morning prayers at a Sikh shrine, according to Jasbir Singh Rodde, a Sikh religious leader. Police officer Sukhchain Singh Gill revealed that Singh was located in the shrine, but they did not enter it, and Singh was taken into custody after he left. Singh was subsequently flown to Dibrugarh in India's northeast, where he will be detained until he faces charges in court.

Punjab has a history of violent insurgency, with a bloody insurgency in the 1980s resulting in the assassination of India's then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards and subsequent riots between Hindus and Sikhs. Singh's arrest is expected to aid the police in dismantling the separatist network and its supporters, as stated by Ashwini Dubey, a lawyer in Punjab.

Singh, a 30-year-old preacher, had been declared a fugitive by the police, with accusations of spreading disharmony, attempted murder, attacking police personnel, and obstructing public servants' lawful duty. Thousands of paramilitary soldiers have been deployed in Punjab, and nearly 100 of Singh's supporters have been arrested. Singh's wife was also prevented from leaving India recently.

Singh claims to draw inspiration from Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, a Sikh militant leader who led an armed insurgency for Khalistan in the 1980s and was killed when the Indian army stormed the Golden Temple, the holiest shrine in Sikhism. Singh emulates Bhindranwale in his appearance, with a long, flowing beard and similar attire. He also heads Waris Punjab De, an organization that was part of a farmers' campaign against agricultural reforms pushed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. The protests, predominantly led by Sikh farmers from Punjab, ended in November 2021 after the legislation was withdrawn.

Singh's speeches have gained popularity among supporters of the Khalistan movement, which is banned in India and seen as a national security threat by officials. Although the movement has diminished over the years, it still has support in Punjab and among the Sikh diaspora in countries such as Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Last month, Khalistan movement supporters vandalized the Indian high commission in London and the Indian Consulate in San Francisco, in protest against Singh's potential arrest. India's Foreign Ministry condemned the incidents and lodged a protest with the U.K.'s deputy high commissioner in New Delhi.