Dibrugarh: After three years behind bars in Dibrugarh Central Jail, Khadoor Sahib MP and Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh is set to face formal arrest on Thursday, as his detention under the National Security Act (NSA) expires.A team of Punjab Police from Amritsar (rural), led by a deputy superintendent of police, has been camping in Dibrugarh since April 19 to execute the arrest in connection with the Ajnala police station attack case of Feb 2023 — a case that has remained in judicial limbo due to his NSA detention.Amritpal was first taken into custody on April 23, 2023, from Punjab’s Moga district — nearly two months after he and his armed supporters allegedly broke through barricades, barged into the Ajnala police station on the outskirts of Amritsar, and clashed with officers to secure the release of an aide. Since then, he has been lodged in the Dibrugarh jail under the NSA, thousands of kms from Punjab, with the state govt citing serious law and order concerns as justification for keeping him in Assam.The Punjab and Haryana high court last week approved the Punjab govt’s request to formally arrest Amritpal in the Ajnala case upon the expiry of his NSA detention and to continue keeping him in Dibrugarh jail thereafter. The court also permitted all trial proceedings — including police and judicial remand — to be conducted through video conferencing, enabling the radical Sikh leader to defend himself without being physically transported to Amritsar.“After his formal arrest, Amritpal will continue to be lodged in Dibrugarh jail. His arrest will pave the way for the trial to finally begin in the Ajnala police station attack case, where he is the prime accused,” said an officer overseeing the case.Charges have already been framed against 41 accused persons, including Amritpal, under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code — including attempt to murder (Section 307), assault on public servants (Section 353), criminal conspiracy (Section 120B), rioting (Section 148), and unlawful assembly (Section 149) — along with Section 25 of the Arms Act. The FIR was registered on Feb 24, 2023.Amritpal’s counsel, advocate Harpal Singh Khara, earlier confirmed that the court had permitted the state to proceed with the arrest after the NSA period and conduct subsequent proceedings virtually.Nine of Amritpal’s associates — Papalpreet Singh, Daljeet Singh Kalsi, Kulwant Singh, Varinder Johal, Gurmeet Singh Bhukhanwala, Harjit Singh (his uncle), Basant Singh, Gurinder Singh Aujla, and Bhagwant Singh — who were also detained under the NSA and sent to Dibrugarh, were shifted back to Punjab last year after the government chose not to extend their detention. They are currently facing trial in the Ajnala sub-divisional court.Amritpal’s legal troubles extend well beyond the Ajnala case. At least 12 other FIRs are pending against him and his supporters across Amritsar (rural), Jalandhar, and Moga, linked to incidents of violence and intimidation. He is also named as the alleged main conspirator in the murder of social media influencer Gurpreet Singh, alias Hari Nau, who was shot dead in Kotkapura on Oct 9, 2024, while returning home from a village gurdwara.Amritpal Singh won the Khadoor Sahib Lok Sabha seat in the 2024 general elections as an Independent candidate while lodged in Dibrugarh Jail and was administered the oath of office on July 5, 2024 — the only time he has attended Parliament. Two subsequent pleas seeking parole to attend parliamentary sessions were rejected by the High Court, with the Punjab government consistently citing law and order concerns.With Thursday’s formal arrest, the long-delayed wheels of justice in the Ajnala case are finally expected to begin turning.
