Punjab Police have beefed up security arrangements in Bathinda ahead of Baisakhi celebrations after an unverified video of Waris de Punjab chief Amritpal Singh surfaces urging followers to spread the word for the big congregation on Baisakhi to discuss issues before the Sikh community.
Additional Director General of Police, Surinder Pal Singh Parmar was quoted by NDTV saying, “We have made elaborate security arrangements. We are here got the convenience of people. We want more and more people to visit the state on Baisakhi. It will send out a positive message that the situation is normal in Punjab. No restrictions have been imposed.”
Earlier, speculations of Amritpal Singh likely to surrender at Golden Temple in Amritsar surfaced following which Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order), Parminder Singh Bhandal said that if the Waris de Punjab chief wanted to surrender, they would help him do so in accordance with the law.
Bhandal said, “We are working continuously for the safety and security of the people in Amritsar. Right now, we are more focused on the management of traffic as Baisakhi is around the corner. If Amritpal wants to surrender, we will do our bit according to the law.”
In March 29, a video of Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh had surfaced on the internet. This was the first time that any statement came from Singh after the police launched a crackdown against him on 18 March.
The video was released on Akaal Channel. In the video he said that he managed to escape from the police on 18 March and he was safe. He said he was not afraid of surrendering.
The fugitive said if the Punjab government wanted only to arrest him, they would have come to his home and he would have given up. He claimed the police action against him was an "attack" on the Sikh community.
“We need to understand, this isn't about my arrest alone. This is an attack on the Sikh community as a whole. I was not afraid of being arrested earlier and I'm not afraid now,” Singh said.
He further added that the government had followed the oppressive policies of Beant Singh's government from earlier, by imprisoning Sikh youngsters.
Moreover, Singh had urged Akal Takht Jathedar to call for a Sarbar Khalsa which is a gathering of the entire Sikh community on Baisakhi.
