• Source:JND
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A MASSIVE crackdown was launched by the Punjab police on Saturday against Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh and his close aide. However, Singh is still on the run from the police amid the state-wide cordon and search operation by the cops. Meanwhile, the Punjab police informed that a total of 78 persons have been arrested and several others have been detained so far. The mobile internet services have also been suspended in many parts of the state, and they will continue until Sunday at noon, the department of Home Affairs and Justice announced.

From Dubai To Ajnala

The 30-year-old Amritpal Singh was born in 1993 and is the second leader of the Punjabi-centric social organisation, Waris Panjab De. Singh, who hails from Jallur village in Punjab, was living in Dubai, helping out with the transport business of his relatives.

According to India Today, Singh, unlike many other leaders, did not follow the normal Sikh lifestyle. He did not wear a turban, which is considered one of the symbols of practising Sikhs. However, things changed after the then Waris Punjab De chief, Deep Sidhu, was killed in a road accident. During the farmers' movement, Sidhu made national headlines. He also gained good media attention after he filmed himself hailing the unfurling of the Nishan Sahib at the Red Fort on January 26, 2021. Later, he started the social organisation named Waris Punjab De in September 2021 with the aim of fighting for the rights of Punjab and also protecting its culture.

After the death of Sidhu, Amritpal Singh was named as the next chief of the Waris Punjab De. He was appointed as the second chief in September 2022, at an event in Rode Village, the village of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.

Bhindranwale 2.O

Amritpal Singh was called "Bhindranwale 2.0" by his supporters. He also used to dress up like Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, whom he called his inspiration. Bhindranwale was killed during Operation Bluestar. Slowly, Singh expanded the sphere of the organisation by bringing in more young people, which also led to his popularity and helped him create a significant space. He also justified the demand for the creation of Khalistan in his interviews. He justified it by saying that if radical Hindus could demand a Hindu nation, there is nothing wrong with demanding a Sikh nation.

How did Amritpal Singh rise to fame?

Amritpal Singh made it to the national headlines for the first time when he and his supporters barged into a police station, demanding the release of his aide Lovepreet Singh Toofan. He and his supporters, who were carrying weapons, stormed a police station in Ajnala, located on the outskirts of Amritsar city, demanding an assurance from the police that Lovepreet, who was in jail over the charges of kidnapping, would be released. During the clashes, six policemen were injured.

Earlier, he had also issued a warning to Union Home Minister Amit Shah. "Amit Shah had said that he won't let the Khalistan movement rise. I had said that the same was done by Indira Gandhi, and if you do the same, then you'd have to face consequences. If the home minister says the same to those demanding 'Hindu Rashtra', then I will see if he remains home minister," Amritpal Singh said, as quoted by Hindustan Times.