Process of handing over of seven Amritpal’s aides to Punjab underway in Dibrugarh

Guwahati, March 19 (IANS) The process of transferring seven associates of radical Sikh preacher Amritpal Singh, who were arrested under the National Security Act (NSA) at Dibrugarh Central Jail, to Punjab, is approaching completion, officials said on Wednesday.

The seven aides of Amritpal are set to be handed over to the Punjab Police team by the Dibrugarh jail authorities.

In the past two days, four detainees -- Gurmeet Singh, Bhagwant Singh (alias Pradhan Mantri Bajeke), Daljit Singh Kalsi, and Basant Singh -- were released by the Dibrugarh jail authorities.

Immediately upon their release, Punjab Police re-arrested them in relation to a case registered at the Ajnala Police Station in Punjab.

The re-arrested individuals were subsequently presented before the Chief Judicial Magistrate's (CJM) Court in Dibrugarh. As per court orders, they were placed under transit remand on March 17 and 18 for further legal proceedings.

Meanwhile, the remaining detainees -- Kulwant Singh, Harjeet Singh, and Kulwinder Pal Singh -- are expected to be released on Wednesday as their NSA detention period has expired.

Following their release, Punjab Police will produce them before the judicial court in Dibrugarh and seek transit remand for further legal actions.

Amritpal Singh, the leader of the ‘Waris Punjab De’ outfit, and his nine aides were lodged in the Dibrugarh jail in Assam as NSA was slapped on them two years ago.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Singh contested as an independent and emerged victorious from the Khadoor Sahib seat in Punjab. The detainees had been lodged in Dibrugarh Central Jail since March 2023, following a crackdown on Amritpal Singh and his associates in Punjab.

Authorities had invoked the NSA due to concerns regarding their involvement in activities that could disturb public order and national security.

According to a top Punjab Police official, the inquiry into the 2023 attack incident at the Ajnala police station would continue. The official further stated that 10 individuals who were detained under the NSA have not yet been formally arrested in connection with the attack on the Ajnala police station.

He stated, “We are moving forward with the investigation. We will arrest the seven individuals in that incident and return them to Punjab. We will bring them here in that case and take forward the investigation,” the senior police official added.