- Friday, April 19, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
A top court in India on Tuesday (21) slammed the government and police of the northern state of Punjab over the escape of Khalistan leader Amritpal Singh and sought a report about their operation.
The Punjab and Haryana high court told the government that it has 80,000 policemen and yet Singh managed to escape. It also called it an intelligence failure of the state police, NDTV reported.
“You have 80,000 cops. What were they doing? How did Amritpal Singh escape?” it asked.
The court’s remarks came amid the Punjab Police action against Singh and members of his Waris Punjab De outfit.
The state police told the court that they launched a massive crackdown against Singh on Saturday (18) and arrested 120 of his supporters.
They, however, failed to catch the radical preacher and escaped the dragnet when his cavalcade was stopped in Jalandhar district of the state. Singh, who authorities allege have received training from Pakistan intelligence agency Inter-Services Intelligence, was last seen speeding away on a two-wheeler on Saturday evening.
Singh has been active in Punjab for the past few years and is often seen escorted by armed supporters.
He claims to be a follower of slain Khalistani separatist and terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and is known as “Bhindranwale 2.0” among his supporters.
Earlier in the day, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann said strict action will be taken against those trying to disturb peace and harmony in the state.
“We will not spare any force working against the country. People of this state want peace and progress,” Mann was quoted as saying. He added that no incident of violence has been reported since the operation to arrest the Khalistani leader began.
In February, Singh and his supporters stormed a police station in Amritsar district of Punjab with swords and guns for the release of one of his aides. Six police officials were injured in the clash.
