Amritpal Singh, a Khalistani preacher who was previously imprisoned, emerged as the victor in the Lok Sabha election for Punjab’s Khadoor Sahib constituency. He ran for elections as an Independent candidate, as reported by CNN-News 18.

Amritpal is presently held in Dibrugarh, Assam, and has been charged under the strict National Security Act (NSA). After eluding authorities for more than a month, he was apprehended in Punjab’s Moga in April of last year.

Kulbir Singh Zira of the Congress party and Laljit Singh Bhullar of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) were Amritpal’s closest competitors.

The Khadoor Sahib Lok Sabha constituency encompasses areas within Amritsar, Kapurthala, Khadur Sahib, and Tarn Taran states. It participated in the last round of voting on June 1.

Amritpal is in charge of the organization Waris Punjab De (WPD). During his arrest, he and the WPD faced allegations in numerous criminal cases. In February 2023, Amritpal and his followers, some armed with swords and guns, participated in an assault on a police station in Punjab, breaking through barricades and entering the Ajnala Police Station near Amritsar. They confronted law enforcement to secure the release of Lovepreet Singh Toofan, a companion of Amritpal.

Following his victory in the Khadoor Sahib Lok Sabha seat, Singh’s wife and lawyer visited Dibrugarh Jail on Wednesday to meet him. Singh secured a significant lead with 4,04,430 votes, while his closest contender, Congress candidate Kulbir Singh Zira, garnered 2,07,310 votes.

Epicentre of militancy

Amritpal Singh has been in preventive custody under the National Security Act (NSA) at Dibrugarh Central Jail in Assam for more than a year. Additional contenders for the Khadoor Sahib constituency, which was once dominated by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), consisted of Virsa Singh Valtoha from the SAD, Laljit Singh Bhullar representing AAP, and former MLAs Kulbir Singh Zira (Congress) and Manjit Singh Mianwind (Bharatiya Janata Party).

Khadoor Sahib was the focal point of insurgency and also houses numerous significant Sikh shrines. Despite the ongoing issues of drug abuse and agrarian distress in the region, Amritpal Singh became well-known for his efforts to combat drug addiction. Security forces cracked down on the Waris Punjab De (a Sikh volunteer political group advocating for a separate Sikh State) March last year, after he vanished from public view. After a month of searching, he was apprehended in Rode village in Moga, where militant leader Bhindranwale, killed in Operation Blue Star, was born.

Amritpal Singh’s attorney seeks bail

According to Rajdev Singh Khalsa, Amritpal Singh’s attorney, the extremist preacher was dedicated to eliminating drug abuse in Punjab. He mentioned he would advocate for Amritpal Singh to be granted bail.

He argued that Singh must be granted relief by the government as there were no other options available. He also labeled the arrest of Amritpal Singh as unauthorized and unethical.

The next plan is to secure bail. The government will be obligated to provide relief to them as there is no other option, both the BJP government and the AAP government will have to do so. Amritpal Singh was working towards creating a drug-free Punjab. Khalsa stated that the public has agreed that his arrest was not only illegal but also immoral.

The attorney asserted that he was arrested by the “untruthful” Bhagwant Mann administration. He stated that the allegations of law and order problems and Hindu-Sikh tensions, which led to his arrest, were not true.