Waris Punjab De, which translates to ‘the heirs of Punjab’, is an organisation floated by lawyer-actor-turned-activist Deep Sidhu in 2021. It is now headed by Amritpal Singh, a self-proclaimed follower of pro-Khalistan slain militant Bhindranwale.

The ongoing commotion in Punjab which had been going on for a few weeks, saw a major breakthrough with the arrest of Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh today. The police launched an operation in a crackdown against the Khalistan sympathiser and his supporters.

As per reports, around 100 police vans chased the Khalistan sympathiser as he escaped from his house in Amritsar’s Jallupur village. As police started surrounding his residence, the ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief managed to flee. However, he was arrested near Jalandhar’s Nakodar area.

Who is Amrtipal Singh?

• 30-year-old Amritpal Singh came to the limelight in the past 6-7 months in Punjab as a separatist leader, Khalistani sympathiser and radical preacher.
• Amritpal Singh claims to be a follower of Bhindranwale, a militant leader who was an ardent supporter of the demands of Khalistan. Bhindranwale was killed in the infamous Operation Blue Star in June 1984.
• Amritpal Singh has recently returned from Dubai.
• After his return from Dubai, he was appointed as chief of ‘Waris Punjab De’, an organisation formed to voice the rights of people in Punjab, according to the founder Deep Sidhu. He was an actor and an activist who died in a road accident in February 2022.
• According to police records, Amritpal Singh is married to UK-based NRI Kirandeep Kaur.
• Since his anointment as the head of ‘Waris Punjab De’, the Khalistan sympathiser
• There are three cases registered against Amritpal Singh, out of which two are related to hate speech and one is related to kidnapping.
• In a remark against Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the separatist leader had said that Shah’s fate would be similar to that of former prime minister Indira Gandhi.
• In February, supporters of Amritpal Singh, armed with swords and arms, clashed with Ajnala Police and forcefully seized and demanded that Lovepreet Singh alias Toofan, an accused in a case involving kidnapping, be released.

As per reports, around 100 police vans chased the Khalistan sympathiser as he escaped from his house in Amritsar’s Jallupur village. As police started surrounding his residence, the ‘Waris Punjab De’​ chief managed to flee. However, he was arrested near Jalandhar’s Nakodar area.​​

What is Amritpal Singh-led group Waris Punjab De?

Waris Punjab De is a radical group that originated in Punjab and is known to be very active in Amritsar. Waris Punjab De was founded by Deep Sidhu, who was an actor and political activist.

Deep Sidhu, whose real name was Sandeep Singh, passed away in a road accident in February 2022, while he was on his way to Bathinda from Delhi. The outfit was founded by Sidhu in 2021, just ahead of the Punjab assembly elections, and was often described as a “poll gimmick” by political parties.

After Deep Sidhu’s death, Khalistan sympathizer Amritpal Singh took over Waris Punjab De and decided to mold the outfit according to the ideology of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who was an Indian militant and is described as the face of the Khalistan movement.

While Waris Punjab De was started as an organization to help those in need in the state, Amritpal’s takeover turned it into a radical group being used to spread Khalistani ideology in Punjab, as claimed by deceased actor Deep Sidhu’s family.

Meanwhile, Amritpal’s family has dismissed the claims made by Deep Sidhu’s family, saying that the alleged Khalistan sympathizer has taken over the group to spread the Sikh ideology and eradicate the drug menace from Punjab.