Khalistani activist Amritpal Singh's mother arrested

Amritsar: In Punjab, police arrested the mother of Khalistani activist Amritpal Singh on Sunday. Balwinder Kaur, who has been sent to judicial custody a day before a march demanding shifting her son from Dibrugarh jail in Assam to a jail in Punjab, PTI reported.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Alam Vijay Singh said on Sunday that it was a preventive arrest but refused to divulge details. Police said that they arrested Amritpal's uncle, Sukhchain Singh, and three others, too.

Chief of the 'Waris Punjab De' outfit, Amritpal, was arrested in April last year, and the stringent National Security Act was invoked against him.

Police made the fresh arrests a day before the protest march, 'Chetna March' is scheduled. It was planned to be conducted from Takht Damdama Sahib in Bathinda on April 8 to demand that Amritpal and nine others be shifted from the jail in Assam to Punjab.

Meanwhile, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) condemned the police action and criticised the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Various organisers of the march have been held, including the mother of Amritpal Singh, which is condemnable, SAD spokesman Parambans Singh Romana said.

Since February 22, Amritpal's mother and relatives of other detainees have been on a hunger strike near the Golden Temple here. She had said earlier that they could continue with the strike till her son and others were brought to a Punjab jail.

Amritpal and his nine associates- identified as Daljeet Singh Kalsi, Papalpreet Singh, Kulwant Singh Dhaliwal, Varinder Singh Johal, Gurmeet Singh Bukkanwala, Harjit Singh, Bhagwant Singh, Basant Singh and Gurinderpal Singh Aujla- were booked under the NSA.