Amritpal to be back in Assam jail after taking oath as MP on Friday
Though the NSA detainee has been sanctioned up to four days of temporary release, the radical Sikh preacher will be flown back to Dibrugarh jail after he is administered the oath in the Lok Sabha Speaker’s chamber.
Radical Sikh preacher Amritpal Singh, who has been granted temporary release for “up to four days or less”, will be brought from the high-security Central Jail at Dibrugarh in Assam to Parliament in New Delhi on Friday to take oath as the member representing Khadoor Sahib constituency in Punjab. Detained under the National Security Act (NSA), he will be escorted back to the jail on Friday itself after he takes oath as a member of Parliament, senior Punjab Police officials said on Thursday.
According to the Amritsar district magistrate Ghanshyam Thori’s orders to the jail superintendent at Dibrugarh, “This temporary release is for a period of up to four days or less for the limited purpose of enabling him (Amritpal) to take oath as a member of the Lok Sabha in New Delhi.”
The temporary release of the Waris Punjab De chief, who is jailed along with nine accomplices under the NSA, is subject to 10 conditions. “He shall be accompanied by such number of police personnel as is deemed appropriate by the senior superintendent of police, Amritsar (rural), from the date and time of his temporary release from Central Jail, Dibrugarh, till the time he returns to the jail for the continuation of his period of detention,” the order issued on Wednesday said.
“For the time period when Amritpal is present within the precincts of Parliament, he shall be accompanied by such number of police personnel, or other security personnel, as permitted by the secretary general, Lok Sabha,” the order said, clarifying that Amritpal shall not enter the territorial jurisdiction of any place other than New Delhi during the period of the temporary release.
“The period of temporary release shall include the time taken for the journey from the Central Jail, Dibrugarh, to New Delhi and back. For the period, when Amritpal is not required in the precincts of Parliament, he shall be housed at such a place in New Delhi as is deemed appropriate,” the orders said.
The relatives of Amritpal, as defined under Section 2(c) of the Punjab Detenue (Condition of Detention) Order, 1981, shall be allowed to meet him during the period he is housed in Delhi.
“Amritpal Singh shall refrain from doing any action or making any statement that is prejudicial to national security. He or any of his relative shall not be permitted to videograph any statement of Amritpal Singh and/or circulate any such statement in any electronic form,” the directions read.
The expenses incurred on the travel and board and lodging, including local travel in Delhi, of Amritpal shall be charged to the departmental budget available with the Punjab director general of police.
The Amritsar (rural) senior superintendent of police shall co-ordinate with the secretary general, Lok Sabha, for the smooth compliance of the conditions for the temporary release of Amritpal under Section 15 of the National Security Act, 1980.
Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa, an Independent MP from Faridkot, said: “I understand that Amritpal will be flown in from the prison for taking oath, which will be in the private chamber of the Speaker.”
Having fought the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as an independent, Amritpal defeated Congress candidate Kulbir Singh Zira by 1.97 lakh votes to win the Khadoor Sahib seat. Amritpal Singh, who styled himself after slain radical Sikh preacher Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, was arrested in Moga’s Rode village on April 23 last year following an over month-long manhunt. The Khalistan sympathiser had escaped the police net in Jalandhar district on March 18, switching vehicles and changing appearances.
The Punjab Police had launched the crackdown after the February 23 Ajnala incident last year in which Amritpal and his supporters, some of them brandishing swords and guns, broke through barricades and barged into the Ajnala police station on the outskirts of Amritsar city, and clashed with police for the release of Lovepreet Singh Toofan, one of his aides. He and his associates were booked for several criminal cases related to spreading disharmony, attempt to murder, attack on police personnel and creating obstructions in the lawful discharge of duty by public servants.
