Seven close aides of pro-Khalistani leader and Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh were brought back to Punjab from Assam’s Dibrugarh Central Jail and remanded in police custody until March 25.
The Punjab Police re-arrested them on March 21 in connection with the 2023 Ajnala police station attack case. They were produced before a court in Ajnala under heavy security after being granted transit remand from a local court in Dibrugarh.
The arrested aides include Basant Singh (Daulatpura Ucha), Bhagwant Singh alias Pradhan Mantri Bajeke (Bajeke village), Gurmeet Singh Gill alias Gurmeet Bukkanwala (Bukkanwala village, Moga), Sarabjeet Singh Kalsi alias Daljeet Singh Kalsi (West Punjabi Bagh, New Delhi), Gurinderpal Singh Aujla alias Guri Aujla (Phagwara), Harjeet Singh alias Chacha (Jallupur Khera, Amritsar), and Kulwant Singh Dhaliwal alias Kulwant Singh (Rauke Kalan, Moga).
Their return to Punjab follows the expiry of their detention period under the National Security Act (NSA). However, the State Government decided against re-invoking the NSA, opting instead for fresh arrests under charges related to the violent Ajnala incident.
A 25-member Punjab Police team had been stationed in Dibrugarh for the past few days to facilitate their legal transfer. With their return, they will now face legal proceedings for their alleged role in the February 23, 2023, attack on the Ajnala police station, where Amritpal Singh and his supporters clashed with law enforcement.
During the 2023 incident, Amritpal and his followers — armed with swords and firearms — stormed the police station on the outskirts of Amritsar, demanding the release of one of his detained associates. The Khalistan sympathizer managed to evade arrest for over a month before being captured from Rode village, Moga, on April 23, 2023.
Amritpal and his associates face multiple charges, including spreading communal disharmony, attempted murder, and obstructing public servants in their duty. Despite his incarceration, Amritpal contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as an independent and secured victory from the Khadoor Sahib seat.
