Amritpal Singh, a self-proclaimed Sikh religious preacher and prominent pro-Khalistan leader, has launched an indefinite hunger strike inside Dibrugarh jail in Assam, joined by nine fellow detainees. Their protest is rooted in alleged restrictions on their chosen lawyer's access to them while in custody.
Outside the prison walls, Amritpal Singh's wife, Kirandeep Kaur, has also embarked on a hunger strike in solidarity with her husband and the detainees who have been detained under the National Security Act (NSA).
The catalyst for this hunger strike was the reported denial of access to their chosen lawyer, Rajdev Singh, within the jail premises. On September 28, the detainees penned a letter to the Dibrugarh jail superintendent, expressing their dissatisfaction with the actions of Amritsar deputy commissioner (DC), whom they accused of hindering Rajdev's jail visit.
DC Amit Talwar clarified that detainees have the right to meet with an advocate of their choice as per the detenue order. He explained that Amritpal Singh had already met with advocate Navkiran Singh, and now, he was requesting to meet Rajdev Khalsa, even though Navkiran had already been granted access.
