Photo: Express
Chandigarh: Pro-Khalistan Amritpal Singh, the leader of 'Waris Punjab De' is expected to take the oath of office as a member of the Lok Sabha on July 5. Singh just won the Khadoor Sahib parliamentary seat in Punjab.
Singh, who is being held under the National Security Act in Assam's Dibrugarh jail alongside nine associates, has been allowed a four-day parole so that he can take the oath.
Sarbjeet Singh Khalsa, the MP for Faridkot, made this announcement on social media. Khalsa is the son of Beant Singh, one of Prime Minister Indra Gandhi's assailants. On Facebook, Khalsa said that Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has verified the day of Amritpal Singh's swearing-in.
Punjab police sources said that Amritpal Singh will probably be flown straight from the Dibrugarh jail to Delhi, where he will be brought to the Speaker's chamber of the Lok Sabha to take the oath. The Punjab government recently sent Speaker Om Birla of the Lok Sabha an application to grant Singh parole so he may take the oath of office.
"Everything required for Amritpal's oath taking is done. He will take oath on July 5 and will be brought back to the Dibrugarh Jail,” said a top state government functionary.
"The parole has been granted only for oath-taking. The parole of up to four days is given to make sure that he can be flown in on any of these four days, considering the variations in weather conditions that could disrupt his transit. The parole has been given with certain conditions that have been communicated to the jail superintendent in Dibrugarh,’’ he added.
"Singh has been granted parole for upto 4 days or less beginning on July 5 with certain conditions that have been communicated to Jail Superintendent Dibrugarh. He will be flown from Dibrugarh to Delhi and back,’’ confirmed Deputy Commissioner of Amritsar, Ghansham Thori.
Section 15 of the National Security Act was invoked in the request for Singh's temporary release. Amritpal Singh emerged victorious in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as an independent, having overcome Kulbir Singh Zira, the Congress candidate, for the Khadoor Sahib Lok Sabha constituency. He won with a margin of 1,97,120 votes.
After more than a month-long manhunt, Amritpal Singh, who styles himself after the deceased Khalistani militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, was apprehended in Moga's Rode village on April 23, 2017. On March 18, the supporter of Khalistan managed to get away from the police in the Jalandhar district by changing cars and clothes.
Following the February 23, Ajnala incident of the previous year, in which Amritpal Singh and his supporters—some of whom were armed with swords and guns—broke past security barriers and stormed the police station outside of Amritsar and clashes with the Punjab Police to free his aide, Lovepreet Singh Toofan.
He and his associates were charged in multiple criminal cases for spreading disharmony among classes, attempt to murder, attack on police personnel and creating obstructions in the lawful discharge of duty by public servants.