Amritpal's wife comes to his defence, says won't desert him

Radical Khalistani activist Amritpal Singh continues to be on the run. His wife Kirandeep has meanwhile come out in his defence claiming that the way the police are trying to detain him is 'illegal'.

In an interview to The Week, Kirandeep has claimed that she is unaware of her husband's whereabouts. She, however, added that she would not leave him at any cost. There is contact with him and she wanted him back home safe, she also said.

"Amrit had told that anything could happen at any time. He was aware of it. If the government is against him, it can arrest him, but he never told me that he could be pursued in such a way. The manner in which it being done is illegal and it is not the correct way to detain someone," Kirandeep told the interviewer.

Kirandeep, 29, is a UK-based NRI and is reportedly on the radar of the Punjab Police as her name has figured among the people who are gathering funds from foreign shores for Amritpal Singh's activities and organisation 'Waris Punjab De'.

She further said that she would not run away from the situation. "I will not run away from this situation. The allegations that I have links in the UK or that I am doing something illegal is wrong. I can stay here for 180 days. I have been here for two months already. I will not go against the law or overstay beyond the stipulated period. This is my home," she also said.

Kirandeep married Amritpal in February this year in a simple ceremony in which the latter was made the chief of the Waris Punjab De. The outfit was formed by late actor Deep Sidhu, who died in a car crash in February last year.

When asked when she first met Amritpal, Kirandeep said that she had been following him for years. "I saw that he was popular and his posts were being shared by many people. I sent him an appreciation message and told him that what he was doing was very good. I said he was powerful in his approach and that I would support him. It was just a supportive message," she added.

She, however, denied travelling with him for any of his programmes. "He always wanted me to be safe. That is why he did not want to take me along during his programmes. I could still step out since no one recognised me and all that hate hitting him would not me," she added.

When asked whether she knew about his preaching activities, she said, "Yes, I messaged him regarding one of his projects he was doing. He was about to go live on Instagram to discuss the issue of raising our voices for Sikhism and saving our language. That is how we got in touch."

Amritpal has been on the run since Punjab Police launched a manhunt for him on March 18. The crackdown came in the wake of his followers vandalising Ajnala police station in Amritsar forcing the release of one of his aides Lovepreet Toofan.