- The Dubai-return radical Sikh preacher, Khalistani separatist leader and chief of Waris Punjab Da chief Amritpal Singh was allegedly using drug rehabilitation centres and a gurdwara for storing weapons and giving training to youths to carry out suicide attacks.
- Punjab Police launched a “massive state-wide cordon and search operations (CASO)” in the state against elements of the ‘Waris Punjab De’.
- During the operation, police arrested 78 members of Singh’s outfit while several others were detained for questioning and recovered arms and weapons which are illegal.
Khalistani separatist leader and chief of Waris Punjab Da chief Amritpal Singh was allegedly using drug rehabilitation centres and a gurdwara for storing weapons and giving training to youths to carry out suicide attacks, intelligence inputs suggested.
According to a dossier prepared with inputs from various security agencies, the Dubai-return radical Sikh preacher was mainly engaged in brainwashing youths to become human bombs, allegedly at the behest of Pakistan’s ISI and Khalistan sympathisers residing overseas.
Punjab Police on Saturday launched a “massive state-wide cordon and search operations (CASO)” in the state against elements of the ‘Waris Punjab De’. During the operation, police arrested 78 members of Singh’s outfit while several others were detained for questioning. However, the manhunt operation to nab Amritpal Singh is still on with police stepping up security across Punjab and extending curbs on mobile internet and SMS services. The separatist leader has been on the run since the Punjab Police launched the massive crackdown.
According to officials, the youths who were admitted in the de-addiction centres used to be pushed towards the “gun culture” and were being brainwashed to choose the path of slain terrorist Dilawar Singh, who acted as a human bomb and killed former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh, PTI reported.
During the state-wide operation, the police recovered nine weapons, including one .315 bore rifle, seven rifles of 12 bore, one revolver and 373 live cartridges of different calibre.
The police said that Waris Punjab De elements are involved in four criminal cases relating to spreading disharmony among classes, attempt to murder, attack on police persons and creating obstructions in the lawful discharge of duties of public servants. A police spokesperson said all persons involved in criminal offences shall be dealt with in accordance with law and all persons wanted by the police should offer themselves to the process of law. Their constitutional rights of legal defence shall be protected, he added.
