‘Waris Punjab De’ chief Amritpal Singh’s supporters and police clash in Amritsar
by The Canadian Parvasi
Tensions grew quickly in Amritsar on Thursday as hundreds of supporters of ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief Amritpal Singh allegedly clashed with Punjab Police officials while laying siege to the Ajnala police station to protest the arrest of the aid of Amritpal Singh, who was detained by the police in a kidnap and assault case.
Media reports suggest that after the ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief announced his intention to stage a protest on Wednesday, Police authorities imposed restrictions on all roads on the way to Ajnala to limit the number of persons arriving at the site. Nevertheless, many protestors, estimated to be at least in the hundreds, arrived and managed to reach the location, about 25km from Amritsar.
The protesters significantly outnumbered the police officials on Thursday in Ajnala, 25km from Amritsar, where they had gathered to protest the arrest of Amritpal Singh’s aide Lovepreet Toofan and gatka master Baldev Singh in a kidnap and assault case.
“The FIR was registered only with a political motive. If they don’t cancel the case in one hour, the administration will be responsible for whatever happens next… They think we can’t do anything, so this show of strength was necessary,” Amritpal Singh stated to media outlets.
According to media reports, efforts to control the clashes are still underway as heavy police force remains deployed in the region.
The 29-year-old is said to have returned from Dubai to Punjab last year and was soon after named the chief of ‘Waris Punjab De’, the organisation previously spearheaded by late actor-turned-activist Deep Sidhu.