INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
NEW DELHI: Pro-Khalistan leader Amritpal Singh belongs to another effort by Pakistans ISI to muddy the waters in Punjab
Senior officers TOI spoke to over the past 2 days stated the main intelligence agencies had actually flagged Amritpal as a potential hazard
to the calm and peace in Punjab from Day 1 , when he had landed in India from Dubai in August 2022
Hardly months after, he was called by Waris Punjab De as successor to its departed leader Deep Sidhu
Agencies have actually thereafter shared regular updates with Punjab Police about Amritpals growing following among the radically-inclined
Sikhs and his personal army of gun-toting fans that have actually grown from 4-5 to almost 20-25 now.Radical preacher Amritpal Singh on
release of assistant Lovepreet ToofanThis personal army is ostensibly to secure him, though it is alleged by numerous to be a bunch of
radical extremists who bully and batter individuals and vandalise gurdwaras in the name of upholding Sikh puritanism
A source said while his armed advocates had at first claimed to bring just registered arms, no one from Punjab Police has inspected these
weapons as yet.Punjab Police, by not acting against Amritpal Singh despite repeated informs from main intelligence companies and more
recently by bowing to pressure from his supporters to release his aide, have only made his appeal grow, rendering it significantly
challenging to rein him in.Political reasons also have actually apparently got the better of security considerations
Some indicated that the Bhagwant Singh Mann federal government may be preventing action against Amritpal and would rather have the central
companies crack down on him first
The home ministry, however, is watching the scenario, conscious that law and order is the constitutional domain of the state government.As
per information gathered, Amritpal showed the first signs of radicalisation throughout Covid, while apparently out of service
Even previously, his social networks activity revealed him to be a fierce critic of the Modi government; a source stated he had actually
even criticised the decision to nullify Article 370 in J&K in 2019
Throughout Covid, he followed stories on Bhindranwale and also social networks posts by Sikh radical leaders, consisting of on the Sikh
Quickly he started engaging with extreme elements like Deep Sidhu, especially throughout the farmers protests
This is the time that Pakistan-based ISI elements spotted him, said a source
He was consequently groomed to make utterances that would touch a chord with the radically-inclined Sikhs, both in India and abroad
An officer stated he has the support of Avtar Singh Khanda, a UK-based radical leader related to Khalistan TV, which the latter utilized his
supposed connections with extreme Sikh attire, who remained in turn in touch with the ISI, to prop him as a pro-Khalistan icon
While Sikh referendum was propagated with ISIs blessings on social networks, targeted killings moneyed assisted in by Pakistan-based
elements and later farmers demonstrations assisted ISI highlight hidden radicalism in Punjab, the concept of having a Burhan Wani-type
leader in flesh and blood, styled after Bhindranwale, is an obvious progression in the series of attempts by forces throughout the border to
keep the Khalistan pot boiling, said a senior officer of the security facility.
