Assam: Amritpal aide brought to Dibrugarh jail

Dibrugarh (Assam): One more associate of radical preacher Amritpal Singh was brought to Assam on Monday and lodged at the Dibrugarh Central Jail where seven others like him are already there, an official said.

Varinder Singh, suspected to be the bodyguard of the fugitive Amritpal, was arrested a few days ago in Punjab.

He was brought to Dibrugarh by air and escorted to the jail amid tight security led by the Superintendent of Police Shwetank Mishra, the official said.

A multi-tier security arrangement has been made at the jail since March 19, when four members of the Waris Punjab De (WPD) were taken here in the first batch.

On March 21, three others, including Amritpal’s uncle Harjit Singh, detained under the National Security Act (NSA), were brought to Dibrugarh, around 2500 km away from Punjab.

According to jail sources, a team of elite black panther Assam police commandos have been entrusted with securing the outer perimeter of the jail, while the CRPF, Assam Police personnel and prison guards have taken up the responsibility of inner security.

The Punjab Police recently launched a massive crackdown in the northern state arresting a number of supporters of Amritpal Singh, the chief of the radical outfit WPD.
The crackdown on the outfit began weeks after Amritpal and his supporters stormed the Ajnala police station near Amritsar to secure the release of an arrested associate.

The episode raised fears over the possibility of the return of Khalistani militancy to the state that borders Pakistan.

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