Amritpal Singh’s uncle driver surrender-Khalistani leader still at large

The surrender of Amritpal Singh’s uncle and driver to the Punjab Police has added a new twist to the ongoing manhunt for the fugitive pro-Khalistan leader. Harjit Singh and Harpreet Singh surrendered near the Bullandpur Gurudwara in Shahkot area in the early hours of Sunday, and the police have recovered the Mercedes car they used to escape from a police interception at the Mehatpur Police station the day before.

Despite the surrender, the hunt for Amritpal continues, and the police have arrested 112 of his supporters so far. The state police conducted flag marches and searches across the state on Sunday in a bid to locate the elusive leader.

The crackdown against Amritpal and his ‘Waris Punjab De’ outfit was launched by the Punjab government after he and his supporters had barged into the Ajnala police station near Amritsar and secured the release of an arrested aide. The police have arrested 78 members of the outfit, but Amritpal has remained elusive.

The Punjab and Haryana high court has ordered the state government to respond to a habeas corpus petition on Tuesday, which claims that the preacher is already in illegal police custody and should be released.

The police have recovered a weapon, a sword, and several rounds of bullets from the vehicle Amritpal had escaped in with his uncle, an Isuzu SUV, which was found abandoned in a village in Jalandhar district.

Twenty-one of Amritpal’s supporters were taken into custody near Boparai Kalan in Jalandhar district when they tried to stage a dharna over the previous days’ action, indicating the high level of tension in the area. The search for Amritpal continues, and the police remain determined to bring him to justice.