On April 2, security agencies said in a statement that CCTV footage of Mohanpur Gurudwara in district Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh, has gone missing. The security personnel have reached the Gurudwara amid an ongoing search for fugitive pro-Khalistani separatist leader Amritpal Singh and one of his mentors, Papalpreet Singh.
During the investigation, the police team found out that the footage up to March 25 was missing. As per the police, the CCTV cameras resumed recording on March 26. In the footage that police recorded, they saw a vehicle registered in the name of Badhpura Gurudwara’s chief Jathdar parked inside the compound.
Notably, Gurudwara’s karsevak Joga Singh was arrested by the police on March 30 after a vehicle was recovered from Phagwara on March 28. Another person identified as Gurwant Singh, who was the driver, was also arrested by the police. It is believed that Joga assisted Amritpal in reaching Punjab using the same vehicle.
In another news, Papalpreet Singh was allegedly seen in a dera in a Hoshiarpur village on Saturday. It is being said that the footage was from March 29, a day after the counter-intelligence wing of Punjab Police chased an Innova from Phagwara on suspicion that Amritpal was travelling in it.
Crackdown on Amritpal Singh
On March 18, Punjab Police, with support from Central Agencies, launched a massive crackdown on Amritpal Singh. The pro-Khalistani separatist leader came under the radar after taking over the late actor-turned-activist’s organisation Waris Punjab De. Singh’s pro-Khalistan ideology is parallel to what Khalistani terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale had propagated during the insurgency. His rise to fame also coincided with Bhindranwale’s methodology in the late 1980s.
After the crackdown, over 150 associates and youth linked to Singh were nabbed by the police. While close associates remained in custody, those who were not involved in his anti-India activities were released by the police. Furthermore, it was reported Singh was raising a private militia under the guise of drug de-addiction centres. Many pro-Khalistani groups have been protesting on foreign land, including in Australia, the UK, the US, Canada and other locations. Official Indian government establishments in these countries were also attacked during these protests.