Khalistani Separatist Leader Amritpal Singh In Lok Sabha Poll Fray From Khadoor Sahib

The Election Commission of India has accepted the nomination of 'Waris Punjab De' Chief and Khalistani separatist leader Amritpal Singh. He is now in the Lok Sabha poll fray from the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat in Punjab. Singh is contesting the polls independently. 

Amritpal Singh is currently lodged in Dibrugarh jail, Assam. Voting in Punjab will be held on June 1. The Khalistani leader is facing stringent charges including the National Security Act (NSA). He was arrested by Punjab Police and was shifted to Assam over security concerns. He was arrested on April 23 last year from Moga in Punjab, weeks after evading police.

Singh came to limelight last year in February when his supporters besieged the Ajnala police station in Amritsar and got freed Lovepreet Toofan, a close aide of Singh. Toofan was arrested in a case related to kidnapping and assault by the Amritsar Police after a person named Veerendra Singh filed a case against them. Following this case, the police arrested Lovepreet Singh alias Toofan from Gurdaspur. Amrit Pal is also accused of threatening the administration against Toofan's arrest. He issued an ultimatum to the police that if his associate was not released, he would besiege the police station with his supporters. 

Later, hundreds of his supporters entered the Ajnala police station and got Toofan freed forcefully. Several policemen were injured during the confrontation in which they broke the jail to free Toofan.

For several years now, Amritpal Singh has been a key figure in Punjab, according to government reports labeling him as a Khalistani-Pakistan agent. He is frequently accompanied by armed individuals and is suspected of receiving weapons from Pakistan via its intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence. Intelligence agencies further suggest that his activities aim to sow communal discord and division within Punjab. Allegedly, Amritpal Singh has been actively promoting a 'gun culture' among the youth.