Amritpal Singh: Gurudwara priest shares details of what happened before arrest

Singh Sahib Giani Jasbir Singh Rode told the media that the Waris De Punja chief surrendered on Sunday at 7 AM.

In an interview with ANI news agency, the gurdwara cleric said that Amritpal Singh addressed the devotees.

“Amritpal Singh came to the Rodewal Gurudwara on Saturday night. He himself informed the police about his presence and that he will surrender this morning at 7 am,” Rode of Rodewal gurudwara in Moga said.

“Amritpal came in the night at Rodewal Gurudwara and I came to know about his decision to surrender in the morning”, the cleric said.

“Amritpal said that after doing prayer I will surrender to the police. He also recited Jupji Sahib. He then thanked the people in gurudwara who came for prayers,” Jasbir Singh Rode added.

After months of the hunt, Punjab police on Sunday arrested the fugitive radical leader from Moga district.

Amritpal Singh had been on the run since last month after capturing national attention in February when hundreds of his supporters stormed a police station in Ajnala with wooden batons, swords, and guns to demand the release of a jailed aide.

Police declared Singh, a 30-year-old preacher, a fugitive and accused him and his aides of creating discord in the state. Police accused him and his associates of spreading disharmony among people, attempted murder, attacking police personnel and obstructing public servants’ lawful discharge of duty.

Very little was known about Amritpal Singh until he arrived in Punjab state in 2022 and began leading marches calling for the protection of rights for Sikhs, who account for about 1.7% of India’s population.

Singh claims to draw inspiration from Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, a Sikh militant leader accused by the Indian government of leading an armed insurgency for Khalistan in the 1980s. Bhindranwale and his supporters were killed in 1984 when the Indian army stormed the Golden Temple, the holiest shrine in the Sikh religion.

Singh has styled himself after Bhindranwale, with a long, flowing beard. He also dresses like Bhindranwale.

Singh also heads Waris Punjab De, or Punjab’s Heirs, an organization that was part of a massive campaign to mobilize farmers against controversial agriculture reforms being pushed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. The legislation triggered a year of protests that began in 2020. The protests ended after Modi’s government withdrew the legislation in November 2021.

Waris Punjab De was founded by Deep Sidhu, an Indian actor who died in 2022 in a traffic accident.

Singh’s speeches have become increasingly popular among supporters of the Khalistan movement, which is banned in India. Officials see it and affiliated groups as a national security threat.

Even though the movement has waned over the years, it still has some support in Punjab and beyond — including in countries like Canada, the US, and the UK, which are home to a sizable Sikh diaspora.