GUWAHATI: A 25-member team of Punjab Police has been in Assam’s Dibrugarh for the past two days to facilitate the transfer of seven aides of pro-Khalistan activist Amritpal Singh, officials said on Monday, March 17.
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The detainees have been imprisoned in Dibrugarh Central Jail for nearly two years alongside Amritpal Singh, who was arrested in 2023 under the National Security Act (NSA). According to reports, the exact date of transfer has not been disclosed but is expected within the next two to three days.
The Punjab Police team, led by Superintendent of Police Harinder Singh Gill, is completing legal formalities for the transfer. The detainees set to be moved include Daljit Singh Kalsi, Kulwant Singh Dhaliwal, Gurmeet Singh Bukkanwala, Harjit Singh, Bhagwant Singh (alias Pradhan Mantri Bajeke), Basant Singh, and Gurinderpal Singh.
However, Amritpal Singh, Papalpreet Singh, and Varinder Singh Johal will continue to be held in Dibrugarh under the NSA, with their detention scheduled to expire in June.
Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav confirmed that the seven aides would be formally arrested in the 2023 Ajnala police station attack case. Their transfer follows the Punjab government’s decision not to reinvoke the NSA at the end of their detention period.
Relatedly, even though Amritpal Singh remains in custody for the time being, he won the Khadoor Sahib Lok Sabha seat in 2024 as an Independent MP.
