States & UTs

    Punjab arrests 78 radical preacher Amritpal Singh supporters

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    Nidhi Khurana
    March18/ 2023
    Last Updated:

    Chandigarh: On Saturday, the Punjab government reportedly began a significant crackdown against extremist Sikh preacher and Khalistan sympathiser Amritpal Singh, with police detaining 78 members of an outfit headed by him.

    Authorities ramped up security at several locations and suspended internet connections in the state till Sunday noon, but the elusive preacher himself gave the police the slip and avoided their dragnet when his cavalcade was intercepted in the Jalandhar area.

    The police have said that they have begun a "major state-wide cordon and search operations (CASO)" throughout the state to apprehend members of the 'Waris Punjab De' (WPD), led by Singh, for whom multiple criminal charges had already been filed. It was reported that 78 people had been arrested and numerous others were being held for interrogation during the operation.—Inputs from Agencies