- Punjab police arrested Amritpal Singh from Rode village, shifted him to Dibrugarh jail in Assam via a special flight.
- Local media reported quoted sources that the main reason behind Amritpal being taken to Dibrugarh jail is to avoid any ruckus, which may fuel protests in the aftermath of the arrests.
- In Dibrugarh jail, there will be a language barrier for Amritpal – another reason to prevent him from connecting with other inmates and authorities.
- It is said to be a very secure prison and the sources noted that the local Sikh community is not sympathetic to the Khalistan movement.
- The Dibrugarh Central Jail was constructed in 1859-60 by the British on 15.54 acres of land and it is one of the oldest , most well-fortified prisons and this jail has never had a major prison break incident in its nearly 170-year history.
In a major breakthrough, Punjab police arrested radical preacher Amritpal Singh from Moga’s Rode village after days of a man-hunt. The same day, Singh was shifted to Dibrugarh in the northeastern Indian state of Assam via a special flight from Bhatinda air force station. He has been kept in a high-security prison just like his other eight aides.
Local media reported quoted sources that the main reason behind Amritpal and his aides being taken to the other end of the nation is to avoid any ruckus, which may fuel protests in the aftermath of the arrests. The sources mentioned that it is unlikely that the jails in which they are currently kept have gangsters associated with them or the separatist movement.
The sources also said that in Dibrugarh jail, there will be a language barrier for Amritpal – another reason to prevent him from connecting with other inmates and authorities. The high-security prison is the same place northeast rebels used to be kept earlier. It is said to be a very secure prison and the sources noted that the local Sikh community is not sympathetic to the Khalistan movement.
A senior official told the news agency that a heavily-guarded convoy reached the prison with Singh. He said: “He has been kept in a special cell under tight security. A team from Punjab Police is present in the jail along with personnel of Assam Police.”
The official said that a multi-tier security arrangement has been made at the Central Jail. He said: “The jail compound has been surrounded by Assam Police’s elite Black Cat Commandos, CRPF and other security personnel.” So far, the Assam Police has not yet made any official statement about the security.
The official further explained that the Dibrugarh Central Jail was constructed in 1859-60 by the British on 15.54 acres of land and it is one of the oldest and most well-fortified prisons with reports stating that this jail has never had a major prison break incident in its nearly 170-year history. The source also mentioned that the jail’s location, the center of the town, is also an advantage for authorities to stop any escape attempts. After Amritpal and his aides were housed there, the security in and around the jail premises has been beefed up.
Local media reports claimed that new CCTV cameras were installed in front of the cells holding Amritpal Singh’s aides to constantly monitor their movements.
