Lookout circular, non-bailable warrant against Amritpal; police watching India-Nepal border
What's the story
The Punjab Police have issued a lookout circular and non-bailable warrant against Khalistani proponent and Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh, who has been absconding since Saturday. The search extended to other states on Tuesday as the Uttarakhand Police conducted a combing operation at gurudwaras and hotels in Udham Singh Nagar and are closely monitoring the India-Nepal border to prevent him from slipping out.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Singh is on the run after the Punjab Police launched a manhunt to nab him nearly a month after Singh and his supporters attacked the Ajnala Police Station with swords and guns to free one of their arrested aides. Meanwhile, intelligence agencies have claimed that Singh is an agent of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) brought to spread drugs and violence in India.
Arrest
Four of Singh's aides arrested for helping him escape
On Tuesday, the Punjab Police arrested four more of Singh's associates for helping him in fleeing in a car in Jalandhar on Saturday. They were identified as Manpreet Singh alias Manna, Gurdeep Singh alias Deepa, Harpreet Singh alias Happy, and Gurbhej Singh alias Bheja. The police also recovered Singh's escape vehicle, which contained a.315-bore rifle, swords, and a walkie-talkie set.
Escape
Singh visited gurdwara, changed clothes, had food
During questioning, they revealed that after giving the police the slip, Singh went to a gurdwara in Nangal Ambian village. There he changed his outfit, had food, and left with three others on two motorcycles. Several photos of Singh in different attires and looks have been released, including one from his time in Dubai when he did not adopt the traditional Sikh appearance.
Court
Singh brandished rifle to create fear among people: Police
In the same case, the Punjab and Haryana High Court lashed out on Tuesday at the Punjab government for allowing Singh to flee despite having 80,000 personnel. The police told the court that Singh brandished a.315-bore rifle to create panic among people and broke through a police checkpoint near Punjab's Khilchian Police Station. As many as 154 people have been arrested so far.