The parents of “Waris Punjab De” chief and Khalistani separatist Amritpal Singh have started making every effort to get their son out of jail following his stunning victory in the recently concluded Lok Sabha election. An application has reportedly been filed for his release or parole so that he can take oath as a member of parliament.
His parents went to meet their son at the central jail in Assam’s Dibrugarh where he is currently incarcerated. Amritpal Singh’s wife Kirandeep Kaur, who has links with the terrorist organisation Babbar Khalsa, has been here since 5th June. The family members claimed to be doing everything within their power to secure Amritpal Singh’s release.
The family of the newly elected Khadoor Sahib Lok Sabha MP filed an application for his temporary release or parole in order for him to take the oath of office as required by the constitution for all Members of Parliaments (MP). His family members reached Dibrugarh to complete all the legal formalities before filing the plea before the local District Magistrate (DM) for his temporary release for the oath-taking. According to legal experts, the jail officials would now have to approve his plea following the suggestion of the local District Magistrate. However, it seems that he is unlikely to get any immediate relief and the oath can be administered later.
Tarsem Singh, his father stated, “We are very happy that our son has won the elections. We have come to meet him so that he will also feel happy that people love him and elected him by such a huge margin. He asked to thank every voter who supported him. He will work to serve the public. The public has given him such a huge mandate. The government should withdraw all the cases and allow him to raise Punjab’s voice in the Lok Sabha.” “He was very happy and we felt very happy after meeting him. He asked to thank everyone who supported him,” voiced Amritpal Singh’s mother.
Meanwhile, Amritpal Singh will also write to the Punjab government to seek temporary release or parole to take the oath. “Under Section 15 of the NSA, Amritpal Singh is writing to the Punjab government seeking temporary release or parole for the oath-taking. First, it is the government’s prerogative to give him parole. If the government does not release him, we will move court,” his lawyer Imaan Singh Khara conveyed on 8th June.
As an independent, Amritpal Singh defeated Congressman Kulbir Singh Zira by a margin of 1,97,120 votes, with Aam Aadmi Party candidate Laljit Singh Bhullar finishing third. The imprisoned activist received 4,04,430 votes, compared to 2,07,310 for Zira and 1,94,836 for Bhullar. Amritpal Singh’s controversial election manifesto, which went viral on social media, promised to close all barber shops and beauty parlours besides meat, liquor and tobacco stores. It also declared that sects like Dera, Radha Saomi Satsang, Nirankari Mission, churches and mosques would also not be allowed to function. It mentioned that Sikh youths would be trained in modern weapons.
However, Tarsem Singh denied that his son had released any such manifesto. His family had alleged that they would not celebrate his victory until 6th June and his mother attributed his success in the Lok Sabha election to the killed Khalistani terrorists.
Since 19th March of last year, ten members of the pro-Khalistani outfit including Amritpal Singh and one of his uncles have been imprisoned in Dibrugarh jail under the National Security Act from different parts of Punjab following a crackdown on the outfit.
Rashid Sheikh, another newly elected MP who is also in jail, has already moved Delhi’s Patiala House court for interim bail to take oath as a Member of Parliament. The Kashmiri separatist leader has been lodged in the Tihar Jail in Delhi since August 9, 2019, on charges of alleged terror financing in a case lodged by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Rashid defeated former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah from the Baramulla Lok Sabha seat with a margin of over 2 lakh votes.
