Amritpal Singh case | Plan laid 2 weeks ago: Mann met Shah for ...
Authorities cleared the decks for police action against Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh more than a fortnight ago and police prepared a meticulous plan to arrest him en route Rampura Phul, where the self-styled preacher had planned a function Saturday, a day after three G20 meetings got over in Amritsar.
On February 28, the Punjab government sought 120 companies of Central forces for the state from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. Sources said it had a plan to take immediate action against Amritpal whose supporters had stormed the Ajnala police station near Amritsar on February 23 to free one of his associates from custody.
But the government, sources said, decided to wait considering that there were G20 meetings from March 15 to 17 in Amritsar and it wanted these to get over. Another two meetings on labour are scheduled for Sunday and Monday in Amritsar.
On March 3, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann met Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Soon after the meeting, around 2,430 Central Armed Police Forces personnel, including eight companies of Rapid Action Force, were sent to the state. The government stated that the Central forces were being deployed in view of the Hola Mohalla festival during Holi. All eyes were on the Hola Mohalla festival – it was expected that Amritpal could be arrested during the festival. Meanwhile, Amritpal gave a statement that he did not fear arrest.
On Friday, the government began making its move. It was decided that mobile internet services would be suspended in the state from Saturday noon. Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Anurag Verma passed orders to this effect Friday itself. Issuing the orders, the Home Secretary said that the Director General of Police had brought to his notice that “certain sections of society are likely to threaten public order by incitement to violence also resorting to widespread violence with an aim to stoke and cause communal tension, obstruction or injury to persons, danger to human life, and property, disturbance to public peace and tranquillity thereby threatening public safety and public order in the state”.
The order stated that all mobile internet services including 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, CDMA, GPRS, all SMS services excluding banking and mobile recharge, and all dongle services provided on networks would be temporarily suspended from Saturday noon to Sunday noon.
According to the plan, security personnel in large numbers would be posted along a route that Amritpal was to take. The route would be through eight districts – Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Faridkot, Moga, Muktsar, Jalandhar and Bathinda. Sources said this would give out an impression that it was a normal security drill as Amritpal had to pass through.
He was to be arrested at Mehatpur on the Jalandhar-Moga road. However, his aides, travelling in two different cars, were arrested and Amritpal, who was in a third vehicle, a Mercedes, was able to evade police.
“All the exit points of Amritsar, Jalandhar, Moga and Ferozepur were sealed. There was heavy security everywhere. Amirtpal’s village Jullupur Khera in Amritsar was converted into a cantonment. Besides police, paramilitary forces and the RAF have also been deployed there. It is impossible for Amritpal to enter his village,” sources said.
Section 144 of the CrPC has been imposed in the districts, prohibiting assembly of persons. “There is a huge bandobast. It is difficult to escape,” a source said.
“The entire operation was kept under wraps. The strong police presence was passed off as normal as Amritpal had to address two functions on Saturday and Sunday, at Rampura Phul and Muktsar respectively,” the source said, adding that police chased Amritpal.
