Amritpal remains tight-lipped about his source of funding

Radical Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh, who was arrested on April 23, has remained tight-lipped about the sources of his funding, News18 reported citing sources.

After his arrest, Amritpal has been lodged in a jail at Assam's Dibrugarh. During interrogation, he is said to have assured the investigating officers that he would not cross the "line of criminality" if freed. The radical Sikh preacher also claimed that he would fight the drug menace in Punjab.

The sources told the website that the authorities need to ensure that he does not build support again if he is let off. "If he starts a peaceful movement and gathers support, it could be dangerous. We need to stop that from happening," an official said.

"He says if freed, he will fight against drugs and conversion by Christian missionaries and will ensure no criminality. He has indicated that he will not cross the line of criminality, which sounds fine," the official added.

"But no doubt, he will go back and start doing things that he was doing. He wants to carry on this fight for long... lambi race ka ghoda (horse for a long race)... This is dangerous..." the official added.

A follower of Khalistani terrorist leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale who was killed during the infamous Operation Blue Star in June 1984, Amritpal returned to India from Dubai in August 2022 after quitting his job as a lorry driver. Since then he has styled himself on the lines of Bhindranwale and has been demanding a separate Khalistan.

The Central investigating agencies and the Punjab Police are trying to find out how Singh was planted in Punjab by Pakistan's ISI. Intelligence Bureau reports clearly suggest that he is a stooge of the ISI and appeared out of nowhere following the death of singer Deep Sidhu who had founded the 'Waris Punjab De', now headed by Amritpal.

Amritpal had been on the run since March 18 before he was nabbed by the Punjab Police in Moga district. Police had launched a major hunt for him and members of 'Waris Punjab De' on March 18. However, the fugitive gave the police a slip and escaped their dragnet when his cavalcade was intercepted in the Jalandhar district.

The crackdown came after Amritpal and his supporters, some of them brandishing swords and guns, broke through the police barricades and barged into Ajnala police station on the outskirts of Amritsar, clashing with the police for the release of one of Amritpal's aide in February.