Amid escalating tension in Punjab over the arrest of radical preacher Amritpal Singh’s close aide Lovepreet Toofan and Amritpal Singh’s vigorous demand for Khalistan, the Punjab police on Friday released Tofan saying that he wasn’t found guilty. The release comes after thousands f supporters of Amritpal attacked a police station in Amritsar and threatened to disturb law and order. Toofan was arrested in a kidnapping and assault case against which his outfit supporters were protesting. The clash between the supporters of Amritpal and the police over Toofan’s arrest quickly followed by a court order for Toofan’s release raise questions over the law and order situation of Punjab and whether the Punjab police is playing soft at the hand of the radicals. Read | ‘Khalistan shouldn’t be seen as…’: Amritpal Singh as Lovepreet Singh set to be released today
Who is Amritpal Singh?
A Khalistan sympathiser Amritpal Singh is called by the moniker ‘Bhindranwale 2.0’. The 29-year-old radical preacher was recently anointed as the head of Waris Punjab De, the organisation funded by Deep Sidhu, who died last year.
Deep Sidhu’s successor, Amritpal Singh has become quite active in Punjab after he returned from Dubai. Earlier, Amritpal used to work in his family-owned transport business.
Hailing from Jallupur Khera village in Amritsar, Amritpal issued several controversial speeches in the recent past. one of them was a threat to Union home minister Amit Shah in which he said Amit Shah will meet the same fate of Indira Gandhi.
Amritpal Singh recently got married t UK-based NRI Kirandee Kaur.
Who is Toofan Singh?
Lovepreet Toofan Singh is a close aide of Amritpal Singh. He was arrested in a case of an alleged kidnapping of Barinder Singh, a resident of Chamkaur Sahib. Amritpal Singh was also named in the case. Barinder Singh, in his complaint, had told police that Amritpal Singh’s associates had allegedly abducted him from Ajnala and took him to an unknown place where he was brutally thrashed.
After Thursday’s clash with the police, Amritpal Singh said the situation turned violent as the police did not listen to them. “We have given enough evidence pertaining to Lovepreet and our innocence (in the case). The consequences which arose were not created by me. Administration had sought time earlier, we gave them time till Wednesday. We came on Thursday here,” Amritpal Singh said.
What Punjab govt said
Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal said the people of Punjab should have faith in chief minister Bhagwant Mann. “I salute Punjab police personnel who didn’t allow disrespect of Guru Granth Sahib and controlled the situation without the use of force yesterday. Govt is with its employees who were injured in the crowd. In time, people will understand thereason behind what happened in Ajnala,” the minister said.