Amritpal Singh's aides to lose arms licence as Punjab Police cracks the whip

In a massive crackdown against Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh Sandhu, Punjab Police have recommended cancelling the arms licences of 10 of his close associates. The police have written to the concerned district administrations to initiate the process to cancel their arms licences.

In the letter written to the district administration, police officials have mentioned that arms licences were given to the 10 concerned people for self defence and not for securing Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh.

Punjab government transfers 18 police officers

This comes days after the Punjab government removed Jaskaran Singh as the Police Commissioner of Amritsar and handed the charge to Naunihal Singh. A total of 18 Punjab Police officers were transferred on March 1 and Jaskaran Singh was tasked with handling the post of Inspector General of Police (Intelligence), Mohali. He was removed as Amritsar Police commissioner ​after Amritpal Singh and hundreds of his supporters clashed with the police forces in the city, broke through barricades and stormed into the Ajnala police station.

Some of the other crucial transfers were IPS Arunpal Singh being posted as ADGP Modernisation Punjab Chandigarh, IPS RK Jaiswal as ADGP STF Punjab SAS Nagar, IPS Gurinder Dhillon as ADGP Law and Order Chandigarh and IPS Mohnish Chawla as ADGP State Crime Records Bureau Punjab. 

Amritpal and his aides clash with Punjab police

On February 23, 'Waris Punjab De' group head Amritpal Singh and its members clashed with the Punjab Police and barged into the Ajnala police station. Amritpal protested against the arrest of his close aide Lovepreet Toofan and attacked the Punjab police.

The Waris Punjab De group members were seen brandishing swords and sticks and breaking barricades that were deployed.

On the next day, Lovepreet Singh was freed by the Punjab police after the rampage. Punjab police on February 23 negotiated with the attackers by dropping the FIR lodged against Amritpal's aide.   

About Waris Punjab De 

'Waris Punjab De', which means 'heirs of Punjab', was founded on September 30, 2021, by actor-activist Deep Sidhu, who died in a road accident on February 15, 2022, months before the Punjab Assembly polls. The organisation was formed to "protect the rights of Punjab and raise social issues."

After Deep Sidhu's death, Dubai-returned Amritpal Singh, often referred to as a Khalistan sympathiser, became the chief of 'Waris Punjab De'.