India continues manhunt for Sikh separatist preacher amid fears of unrest

Nirmala Ganapathy

NEW DELHI Till a few months ago, Sikh separatist and self-styled preacher Amritpal Singh, a Canadian permanent resident, was unknown in India.

Now, the country cannot look away as a massive manhunt, closely tracked by the Indian media, is under way to catch Singh, who supports Khalistan or a separate Sikh homeland.

Wanted by the police for fanning communal tensions, the 29-year-old, who last returned to India in September 2022 and heads Waris Punjab De, which means Heirs of Punjab, has so far managed to outwit the police and intelligence agencies.

To prevent unrest, the police shut down the Internet for three days for 27 million people in the state. They have accused Singh and his supporters of attempted murder, obstruction of law enforcement and creating disharmony.

More than 200 people have been taken into preventive custody by the police to maintain peace while members of Singh's family have been questioned over his whereabouts.

He got married in February to Ms Kirandeep Kaur, a Britishbased non-resident Indian, at his family's village in Amritsar in Punjab.

The chain of events leading to his manhunt started after Singh's supporters, armed with swords and guns, stormed a police station, seeking the release of key aide Lovepreet Singh on Feb 24.

Police said the latter was released to maintain peace.