Amritpal Singh’s NRI Wife Questioned by Police, Wife of Another Associate Files Habeas Corpus Petition

Amritpal Singh, the self-styled Sikh preacher and leader of ‘Waris Punjab De’, has been on the run from Punjab police and a non-bailable warrant has been issued against him. As per the latest reports, the bike that Singh used to escape has been traced and his NRI wife is being questioned by the police. Furthermore, the wife of one of his aides has filed a habeas corpus petition seeking her husband’s release from “illegal custody” in Assam.

More than 150 people have been arrested in the crackdown against Amritpal Singh. The National Security Act (NSA) was invoked against five of the arrested, as well as Singh. The five associates were arrested and interrogated. The police discovered that Singh was traveling in a Brezza car and stopped at a gurdwara to change into western clothes before escaping on a bike.

The bike has been recovered by the police from near a canal in Jalandhar. As per reports, Singh fled towards Phillaur side leaving the bike at Darapur village. His associates were arrested and sent to Dibrugarh in Assam as the NSA was invoked against them.

Video footage showing Amritpal Singh traveling in a Brezza, then switching to a motorbike has been released as well.

On Wednesday, Senior police officials, headed by a DSP, went to Jallupur Khera village to question Amritpal Singh’s wife who is a UK-based NRI. It was found that her name was allegedly involved in acquiring foreign funding for ‘Waris Punjab De’ and her husband’s activities.

On the other hand, Narinder Kaur, the wife of Daljit Kalsi – one of Amritpal’s aides – filed a habeas corpus petition at the Punjab and Haryana High Court claiming her husband is being kept in “illegal custody” in Assam. She challenged the detention order passed by the district magistrate under the National Security Act. She claimed through her counsels, Simranjit Singh and Brijinder Singh, that her husband is being kept in Dibrugarh without following due process and procedures of the judicial court.

Kaur stated that the Punjab government has violated and ignored the Supreme Court’s guidelines that were set in place in a case titled “Sarabjit Singh Mokha Versus The District Magistrate, Jabalpur and others” and “State of Punjab Versus Sukhpal Singh AIR 231, 1989 SCR.”

“The step taken by the respondents is very harassing and abuse of process of law. If it is to be supposed that there is an apprehension of breach of peace in the State, the State has power to arrest any person under Section 107/151 Cr.P.C. But State knowingly and willfully did not apply the same,” she stated in her petition.

Kaur went on to say that the Punjab government was taking revenge on her husband for campaigning in CM Bhagwant Mann’s constituency against the CM’s wishes. She added that the family has not been given any information on how many days Kalsi will be kept in NSA custody.

Vineet Washington