Amritpal Singh looking to create chaos before his surrender: Sources

A video release on Wednesday by radical Sikh leader Amritpal Singh urged a gathering of Sikhs to discuss issues relating to the community.

Amritpal has been on the run for the past two weeks, since the Punjab Police launched a manhunt against him. Amritpal in the video is seen sporting a black turban, very contrary to the undated CCTV footage that have cropped up in the past couple of days. In those footages, he is seen in a jacket, with his hair let loose, while at times sporting sun glasses.

Police sources confirmed to OneIndia that Wednesday's footage is the latest and it refers to the spat between the Bhagwant Mann Punjab government and the Akal Takht, which had issued an ultimatum to release all those taken into custody post the crackdown on Amritpal Singh.

The source also said that on Wednesday, there were several unverified reports that appeared on television channels suggesting that Amritpal may surrender before the Akal Takht. The police is however adamant that it would arrest him and not let him surrender.

Going by the contents of the video, it is clear that Amritpal Singh wants to create chaos in Punjab. His urging of people to come out in large numbers is an indication that he wants to foment trouble in the state before he either surrenders or is arrested.

The security at the Golden Temple has been raised after another report said that he may surrender after taking a dip and praying at the holy shrine.

Another official explained that all that Amritpal is doing is playing according to the script written by Pakistan's ISI. He has been asked to ape terrorists Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and that is what he is doing, the official explained. He wants to create sympathy for himself on religious lines and hence is calling on a large number of people, so that he could surrender in style.

Meanwhile the police hunt has been narrowed down to the areas around the Marnaian Kalan village of Hoshiarpur. The police suspect that he is in and around this area after a Toyota Innova ferrying him was found abandoned near a Gurudwara on Tuesday. The police are currently questioning the driver of the vehicle to get more leads into the whereabouts of Amritpal Singh. The police have withheld details of the questioning owing to the sensitivity of the matter.

The police have also upped surveillance around Bathinda in Punjab after it was reported that Amritpal Singh would look to finish his prayers at the Golden Temple and then surrender before the Akal Takht in Bathinda.