Seven associates of radical preacher Amritpal Singh were on Friday presented before a court in Ajnala, Amritsar, which remanded them in police custody until March 25.
The Punjab Police had re-arrested the men in connection with a 2023 attack on a police station, following their release from Dibrugarh Central Jail in Assam.
The Punjab government opted not to reinvoke the National Security Act (NSA) upon the conclusion of their detention period.
However, they were apprehended afresh under charges related to the violent attack in Ajnala last year, during which Amritpal Singh and his supporters stormed the police station, clashing with law enforcement officers.
Transfer from Assam to Punjab
The Punjab Police secured a transit remand from a Dibrugarh court, facilitating the return of the seven individuals to Punjab.
A 25-member police team had been stationed in Dibrugarh for several days to oversee their transfer.
According to Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav, "The seven associates will face the law in the 2023 Ajnala police station attack incident as they will be formally arrested in this case."
Also read: Punjab police in Assam to transfer Amritpal's 7 aides
Those brought back to Punjab include Basant Singh of Daulatpura Ucha in Moga, Bhagwant Singh alias Pradhan Mantri Bajeke of Bajeke in Moga, Gurmeet Singh Gill alias Gurmeet Bukkanwala of Bukkanwala in Moga, Sarabjeet Singh Kalsi alias Daljeet Singh Kalsi of West Punjabi Bagh in New Delhi, Gurinderpal Singh Aujla alias Guri Aujla of Phagwara, Harjeet Singh alias Chacha of Jallupur Khera in Amritsar, and Kulwant Singh Dhaliwal alias Kulwant Singh of Rauke Kalan in Moga.
Background of arrests
Amritpal Singh, leader of the Waris Punjab De outfit, and his aides were arrested following a month-long manhunt in 2023.
The police crackdown was initiated after the February 23 Ajnala incident, where his armed supporters breached police barricades and forced their way into the station to demand the release of his associates.
Since April 23, 2023, Amritpal Singh and nine of his associates have been detained in Assam’s Dibrugarh jail under the NSA.
He later contested and won the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Khadoor Sahib as an independent candidate.
Charges against Amritpal Singh and his followers include spreading communal disharmony, attempted murder, assaulting police personnel, and obstructing public servants in their duties.
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