Punjab cracks down on radical preacher Amritpal Singh; 78 supporters arrested

STATE TIMES NEWS

Chandigarh: The Punjab government on Saturday launched a major crackdown against radical Sikh preacher and Khalistan sympathiser Amritpal Singh, with police arresting 78 members of an outfit headed by him, officials said.
The elusive preacher himself, however, gave the police a slip and escaped their dragnet when his cavalcade was intercepted in Jalandhar district, even as authorities stepped up security at several places and suspended internet services in the state till Sunday noon.
The police said it has launched a “massive state-wide cordon and search operations (CASO)” in the state against elements of ‘Waris Punjab De’ (WPD), headed by Singh, against whom several criminal cases had been registered.
During the operation, a total of 78 persons have been arrested so far, while, several others have been detained for questioning, it said. Amritpal Singh and others are on the run and a massive manhunt has been launched to nab them, a police spokesperson said.
Some supporters of ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief shared some videos on social media claiming that policemen were chasing them. A video also showed Amritpal sitting in a vehicle and one of his aides could be heard saying policemen were after “Bhai saab” (Amritpal).