An audio clip purportedly belonging to Harjeet Singh, the uncle of fugitive Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh, expressing his willingness to surrender has gone viral on social media.
As per reports, the audio was recorded prior to his arrest and eventual transfer to Dibrugarh jail in Assam. Harjeet Singh could be heard talking to another fugitive, Papalpreet Singh, and arguing that surrender was the best option.
“Since we can’t run anymore, and there are cameras everywhere, it is best to surrender,” he had said while urging his nephew Amritpal Singh to surrender as well.
#LIVE | Harjeet Singh, uncle of Amritpal Singh heard in audio saying ‘Waris Punjab De chief must surrender.’#AmritpalSingh #Amritpal #Punjab #PunjabPolice #WarisPunjabDehttps://t.co/ge3J2OW61a pic.twitter.com/HKzCP7kU0k
— Republic (@republic) March 24, 2023
Harjeet Singh told his aide that he would surrender in a day or two’s time. “If the police catch us tomorrow, it will be a huge insult. Let us surrender in front of the police like warriors. Let’s invite the media,” he was heard saying.
“We can’t run for long. There are cameras everywhere. That’s why I request you. Bhai Sahib (Amritpal) must be with you. He will also listen to you,” he emphasised after realising that the Punjab police were closing in on them.
Uncle of Amritpal Singh worked in Punjab police
Reportedly, one of the uncles of Amritpal Singh, namely, Sukhchain Singh (now retired) served as an inspector with the Punjab police. The fugitive pro-Khalistani leader and his uncle Harjeet Singh reportedly received inputs from Sukhchain Singh about the functioning of the police.
It is believed that Amritpal Singh was able to evade the police due to his familiarity with their workings, a claim that Sukhchain Singh has since denied.
“The authorities deployed a huge force against Amritpal to arrest him. This shows that he’s already in police custody. How can someone, who is carrying only country-made weapons, escape from the police, which have all sorts of automatic arms?” he asked.
Sukhchain Singh added, “Amritpal was going around freely everywhere, including our place in Jallupur Khera village. He went to gurdwara every day. It is not difficult for the police to arrest him from here.”
Two aides of Amritpal Singh booked for extortion, criminal intimidation
Meanwhile, Amritpal Singh and his two unidentified associates have been booked on charges of extortion and criminal intimidation by the Bilga police. The complaint was filed by Gurmit Kaur, the wife of ‘granthi’ Sukhwinder Singh.
On March 18 this year, three masked people barged inside the gurdwara Singh Sabha in Sheikhupur village and locked Kaur’s family in a room at gunpoint. Kaur’s son, identified as Parwan Singh, recognised Amritpal Singh, who forcibly took away his motorcycle, shawl, and turban.
The ‘Waris Punjab De’ leader then directed Parwan to help them cross the Sutlej river and intimidated them into silence. According to Parwan, Amritpal Singh dialed one of his aides to bring a scooter after his motorcycle developed a technical snag.
The pro-Khaliatani leader then asked the son of the ‘granthi’ to leave his motorcycle at Darapur canal before helping them reach the Sutlej via Meonwal village.
According to Bilga police Station House Officer (SHO) Mohindar Pal, the trio has been booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 386, 342, 506, and 34 of the IPC and Sections 25, 27, 54, and 59 of the Arms Act.
