The latest development on Waris Punjab De Chief Amritpal Singh speaks of his time in Georgia and what all he did to become the Pro-Khalistan leader. Indian security agencies have been working on extracting information on the fugitive through his aids who were arrested last month and taken to Dibrugarh prison in Assam. The Intelligence Authorities allegedly stated that Amritpal was recruited by the ISI while he was working as a truck driver in Dubai, with the express aim of initiating and installing a radical movement in Punjab. It is speculated that after initial contact was made in Dubai, Amritpal was sent to Georgia at the behest of his ISI handlers, not only to be trained but also to undergo elective plastic surgery with the purpose of making him a Bhindrawale look alike. The fact that the aim was not just to build his character in the image of Bhindrawale but also change his face, speaks of a detailed plan with certain malicious intent.
Indian security agencies, especially RAW are known to have had an eye on Amritpal from the time he met Jaswant Singh Rode (NIA’s most wanted) and Paramjit Singh Pamma, during his time in Dubai. Yet, they refrained from taking visible action against him as he had not put his nefarious plans into motion.
The most interesting aspect of this story is that while Amritpal Singh was aiming at styling himself after the radical Sikh leader of the 80s Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale, he was being propped up by Bhindrawale’s nephew, Lakhbir Singh Rode who is a recognized security threat to the Republic of India. Lakhbir Singh Rode is the head of the International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) and is categorized as a Khalistani separatist with deep ties to the Khalistan Zindabad Force by Indian security agencies. He is a part of India’s most wanted list and was named as the mastermind of the Air India 182 bombing in 1985 by Talwinder Singh Parmar in a confession prior to his death. The connection has become all the more apparent since Amritpal Singh’s Dastar Bandi ceremony which happened in the ‘Rode’ village itself. Rode village is known to be closely associated with Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale
For the unversed, Waris Punjab De Chief Amritpal Singh was under Central Security Agencies’ watchful eye for a long time and they have been keeping tabs on him and his connections since his time in Dubai. This is made obvious, by the steady stream of information made available by said security agencies, delineating the story behind Amritpal’s rise and the overarching aim with which he came back to India.
Having eluded arrest last month Amritpal Singh is still on the run and has made demands for the aggregation of the Sikh community under a singular banner to bolster his cause.