Punjab Police on Saturday, March 18 arrested Khalistan sympathiser Amritpal Singh, according to sources. To curb the spread of misinformation, internet services have been suspended till 12 pm on Sunday, March 19 as per the official notification from the Home Affairs department.
Sources said that Amritpal Singh has been taken to an undisclosed location. He was detained near Jalandhar district’s Nakodar area.
Sources informed that the Punjab Chief Secretary had sent a report to the Minister of Home Affairs (MHA) last night stating that they would be acting against certain elements for which they demanded assistance from Central forces.
At least 8 high-profile individuals have been detained: Sources
Sources also informed that apart from Amritpal, at least eight other high-profile individuals have been detained from four districts of the state.
“All mobile internet services, all SMS services (except banking and mobile recharge) and all dongle services provided on mobile networks, except the voice call, in the territorial jurisdiction of Punjab shall be suspended from 18th March (12:00 hours) to 19th March (12:00 hours) in the interest of public safety,” an official order said.
Earlier in the day, police had intercepted Amritpal’s cavalcade in Mehatpur village in Jalandhar. Though the ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief managed to escape, six of his aides were learnt to have been detained.
Some of his supporters shared clips on social media claiming that cops were chasing them. A video also showed Amritpal Singh sitting in a car and one of his associates could be heard saying policemen were after ‘Bhai saab’ (Amritpal).
Meanwhile, the Punjab Police requested people to maintain peace and harmony. “Request all citizens to maintain peace & harmony. Punjab Police is working to maintain Law & Order. Request citizens not to panic or spread fake news or hate speech,” it said in a tweet.
Last month, Amritpal and his supporters, some with guns and swords, broke through barricades and barged into the Ajnala Police Station in Amritsar, and clashed with police for the release of one aide of Amritpal.
