Dibrugarh, April 22: A team from Amritsar (Rural) Police has arrived in Dibrugarh to formally arrest Khadoor Sahib MP and Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh in connection with the February 2023 Ajnala police station attack case, as his three-year detention under the National Security Act (NSA) is set to expire on Thursday.
Led by a Deputy Superintendent of Police-rank officer, the team is awaiting his release from Dibrugarh Central Jail, where he has been lodged since April 23, 2023, following his dramatic arrest in Moga district after a 35-day manhunt.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court recently allowed the state to arrest Amritpal in the Ajnala case and continue his custody in Assam, citing serious law and order concerns if he is shifted to Punjab. The court directed that all legal proceedings, including remand, be conducted via video conferencing from an Amritsar trial court, ensuring his participation without physical transfer.
Amritpal and over 40 others face multiple charges under the IPC, including attempt to murder (Section 307), assault on public servants (Section 353), rioting (Sections 148 and 149), criminal conspiracy (Section 120B), along with provisions under the Arms Act. The charges stem from an FIR filed on February 24, 2023.
In the Ajnala incident, Amritpal and his armed supporters allegedly stormed a police station on the outskirts of Amritsar, clashing with personnel and breaching barricades to secure the release of his aide, Lovepreet Singh.
Nine of his close associates—Papalpreet Singh, Daljeet Kalsi, Kulwant Singh, Varinder Johal, Gurmeet Bhukhanwala, his uncle Harjit Singh, Basant Singh, Gurinder Aujla, and Bhagwant Singh—were shifted to Punjab from Dibrugarh last year after their NSA detention ended and are currently facing trial.
Despite being in custody, Amritpal contested and won the Khadoor Sahib Lok Sabha seat as an Independent candidate in the 2024 general elections, securing over 1.9 lakh votes. He took oath on July 5, 2024, in what remains his only appearance in Parliament so far, as subsequent parole requests were denied on security grounds.
Apart from the Ajnala case, Amritpal is named in more than a dozen FIRs across districts including Amritsar Rural, Jalandhar, and Moga. These include allegations related to the October 9, 2024 murder of social media influencer Gurpreet Singh Hari Nau, in which he is suspected to be a key conspirator.
