MP Amritpal’s supporters leaked chat: Khanna man, juvenile held for ‘assassination’ plot
Alleged conspiracy to target political leaders was exposed through leaked WhatsApp chats of group supporting Khadoor Sahib MP
The Moga district police on Monday arrested a Khanna man and detained a juvenile after registering a criminal case under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and other criminal sections in connection with a leaked WhatsApp chat of a group supporting the jailed MP Amritpal Singh.
The screenshots of the WhatsApp chat purportedly revealed the intention of Waris Punjab De members to target Union home minister Amit Shah, Union minister Ravneet Bittu and others over the extension of Khadoor Sahib MP’s detention under the National Security Act (NSA) for one more year.
The alleged conspiracy was exposed through leaked chats on social media platforms on Sunday. HT couldn’t independently verify the veracity of the chats.
Moga senior superintendent of police (SSP) Ajay Gandhi said that Balkar Singh of Khanna was arrested today, while the juvenile is a resident of Moga district. The case has been registered at the cyber cell police station.
“The family has claimed that one of the accused is a juvenile and we are following the protocol to verify the claims. The accused will be produced before the juvenile justice board as per the laid-down protocol. We cannot share more details regarding the two and the other identified accused at this moment as it might hamper the investigations,” the SSP said.
He said Balkar will be produced before the court on Tuesday for custodial interrogation.
Earlier in the day, Faridkot Range deputy inspector general of police (DIG) Ashwani Kapur said four persons had been identified from a social media chat group titled ‘Akali Dal Waris Punjab De-Moga’, which had around 30 members.
“There were around 30 members of the said chat group. More accused will be arrested. They have been booked for being part of the terrorist organisations and other criminal sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Information Technology (IT) Act,” he added.
The DIG said an objectionable group chat surfaced on social media, where the members were discussing leaders from various political parties.
“It appears from the chat that the group members were upset over extending the incarceration of the Independent MP from Khadoor Sahib under the National Security Act. They were discussing taking revenge by targeting leaders from different political outfits. The individuals were discussing targeting eminent leaders who are opposed to the jailed MP,” the DIG said.
Bittu, who is the Union minister of state for Railways and Food Processing Industries, had on Sunday alleged that some Khalistani elements linked to Waris Punjab De, an outfit headed by radical preacher Amritpal Singh, were plotting to target him and some other politicians.
The Union minister had claimed that conspiracy has been ‘exposed’ through leaked screenshots of a chat on social media platforms.
Bittu is the grandson of former chief minister Beant Singh who was assassinated while in office by pro-Khalistan groups.
Senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia also raised the issue and demanded the immediate arrest of all members of the WhatsApp group. The SAD leader also released the screenshots of the WhatsApp conversations.
In a press conference, Majithia also released alleged audio clips in which the jailed MP Amritpal is admitting to having links with gangster gangster Jaipal Bhullar, who was killed in an encounter in Kolkata. HT couldn’t independently verify the veracity of the audio clips.
