India: Police arrest fugitive Sikh separatist Amritpal Singh

Ending a a five-week manhunt, the Indian police has arrested fugitive Sikh separatist and preacher Amritpal Singh, officials said on Sunday.

Singh's was arrested in Moga, in the northern state of Punjab. Sikhs constitute majority of the population in Punjab.

"(We) Urge citizens to maintain peace and harmony, Don't share any fake news, always verify and share," the state police tweeted without giving any further details. 

Local media quoted police sources as saying Singh handed himself early on Sunday. Sikh religious leader, Jasbir Singh Rodde, also said that the 29-year-old surrendered after offering morning prayers at a Sikh shrine in Moga.

Singh and his aides have been accused of spreading disharmony in the Indian state, attempting murder, attacking police personnel and obstructing their duty.

What is the Khalistani movement?

The young separatist first stepped into limelight earlier this year with provocative speeches encouraging the formation of Khalistan — a proposed sovereign Sikh state on Indian territory.

The Khalistani movement had last gained wind in the 1980s which led to a series of events which has scarred the nation. It involved an attack by the Indian authorities on the Golden Temple — the holiest shrine for Sikhs — to capture Sikh militant leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. The attack, meant as a surgical strike, went awry when Indian troops encountered resistance from Bhindranwale's followers. The bloodshed escalated when Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was killed by her Sikh bodyguard as retribution and eventually led to a massacre of Sikhs across India in 1984.

The movement had been declining until Amritpal Singh, who claims to draw inspiration from Bhindranwale, returned to India from abroad in 2022.

Who is Amritpal Singh?

The radical Sikh preacher currently heads Waris Punjab De, or Punjab's Heirs, an organization that was part of a massive campaign to mobilize farmers against controversial agriculture reforms being pushed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. 

His provocative speeches in India and rising support from Punjabi diaspora in Canada, the UK and the US has increased fears of violence similar to the 1980s.

Authorities tried to arrest him mid-March after Singh and his supporters raided a police station, armed with swords, knives and guns, to demand the release of his aides who were arrested for assault and attempted kidnapping. The preacher managed to escape arrest by fleeing on a motorcycle.

Singh's reported surrender comes as a surprising end to the 37-day manhunt. As a fugitive, he released a video in which he taunted authorities. "I was neither afraid of arrest earlier, nor am I now. I am in high spirits. Nobody could harm me. It is the grace of God," he said.

mk/dj (AP, AFP, Reuters)