12 Reasons Punjab Police Wants to Arrest Amritpal Singh
With Amritpal Singh’s third NSA detention expiring April 23, Punjab Police has approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking his immediate arrest. Here are the 12 grounds laid out in the petition. A North Desk Special:
Arvind Chhabra
Chandigarh, April 17
The recent grenade attack in Chandigarh and murder of YouTuber Nancy Grewal are among the 12 reasons that the Punjab Police is seeking to arrest radical leader and Khadoor Sahib (Punjab) MP Amritpal Singh.
But first the context. The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Thursday dismissed Amritpal Singh’s petition challenging his third consecutive detention under the National Security Act (NSA). The very next day, the High Court took up a petition by the Senior Superintendent of Police, Amritsar Rural. This time, it was not to extend the NSA, but to formally arrest Amritpal Singh the moment his detention expires on April 23.
The petition asked the High Court for directions to keep him lodged at Dibrugarh Central Jail in Assam after his arrest, conduct all judicial proceedings via video conferencing, and allow Punjab Police to interrogate him at a designated place in Assam. In all, 12 cases have been registered against him. Here are the 12 grounds Punjab Police has placed before the court.
[Editor’s note: These are allegations placed before the High Court by the State of Punjab. Amritpal Singh’s counsel, appearing before the same court in the NSA case, has maintained that there is no “live and proximate link” between his past conduct and any prospective criminal activity, and that the District Magistrate who passed the detention order had not applied his mind independently.]
12 REASONS PUNJAB POLICE WANTS TO ARREST AMRITPAL SINGH
1. The Ajnala Siege: Armed Attack on a Police Station
This is the originating case — and the one under which Punjab Police seeks formal arrest. On February 23, 2023, a mob of several hundred people, led by Amritpal Singh, marched towards Police Station Ajnala in District Amritsar. The mob, according to the police, brandished guns and swords and used a Sri Palki Sahib carrying the Guru Granth Sahib as a shield — exploiting religious sentiment to prevent police from intervening. The armed mob broke through police barricades, stormed the police station building, inflicted injuries on numerous police personnel including an SP-rank officer, and damaged police vehicles. The entire event was recorded live and widely circulated on social media. Eye-witnesses including the duty magistrate, the then SP and SSP Amritsar Rural, have identified Amritpal Singh as the one who led the assault. CCTV footage, mobile phone location data, statements of co-accused, and weapons recovered from the mob are all cited as evidence. No bail has been granted to any of the accused in this case up to the Supreme Court level.
2. Kidnapping and Assault of a Critic
Weeks before the Ajnala siege, in February 2023, a man named Varinder Singh was abducted and assaulted on Amritpal Singh’s instructions. Varinder Singh had uploaded a video on social media criticising the illegal activities of Amritpal Singh and his organisation. According to the police, in retaliation, Amritpal Singh had him abducted, brought before him personally, and assaulted during captivity to discourage him from speaking against Waris Punjab De. A separate case was registered at Police Station Ajnala in connection with the kidnapping and assault. When one of the accused in that kidnapping case was subsequently arrested, Amritpal Singh publicly declared that he and his supporters would “forcibly” get the arrested associate released — a statement that directly preceded the Ajnala siege.
3. Creating an Armed Private Militia: Anandpur Khalsa Fauj
The petition alleges that Amritpal Singh’s bodyguards, who were always seen accompanying him with brandished arms, ammunition, and walkie-talkie sets, were not casual security but the nucleus of an organised armed group called Anandpur Khalsa Fauj (AKF). This group was formed at Amritpal Singh’s behest and later expanded with new members. According to the petition, AKF subsequently spread to foreign countries including Canada, operating under slightly altered names. The police allege that AKF was essentially training youth to fight against the sovereignty of India, under the camouflage of running de-addiction centres. The petition notes that the Akal Khalsa Force (AKF) International Association continued to put out material supporting Amritpal’s ideology even after his detention, circulating a letter on social media as recently as February 23, 2026 warning that any individual who speaks against Amritpal Singh would be considered an enemy not just of him but of the entire Sikh community.
4. Open Advocacy for Khalistan and Bhindranwala’s Agenda
Between 2022 and 2023, Amritpal Singh gave several media interviews that were circulated internationally. In one, the petition quotes him as stating on camera: “to demand a separate Nation, ‘Khalistan’ is the bounden duty of every true Sikh.” In another television interview, he stated without hesitation that all issues he raised — drugs, migration, unemployment — were merely pathways to the “ultimate goal” of a sovereign Khalistan. The petition records that on social media, he was widely proclaimed as carrying forward the agenda of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. Audio, video and photographic evidence of these utterances is cited as part of the record. Police allege that these statements were specifically designed to radicalise youth in a sensitive border state and had serious consequences for public order.
5. Threatening the Chief Minister with Assassination Comparisons
In a speech delivered right outside Police Station Ajnala — captured on audio, video and photographic evidence — Amritpal Singh explicitly invoked the assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh. According to the petition, his exact words, recorded on a public announcement system, were: “We warned CM Mann to not walk on the path of CM Beant Singh. CM Mann is still proceeding on the path earlier treaded by CM Beant Singh. Dilawar acted as Human-Bomb and blew up CM Beant Singh. CM Mann has ensured that several such Dilawar’s have taken birth out of this present crowd today.” Police allege this speech, implying that Bhagwant Mann’s supporters had the potential to act as suicide bombers, had the capacity to incite targeted violence against a sitting Chief Minister and constituted a direct threat to public order.
6. Connections with Designated Terrorists Abroad — Nijjar and Khanda
The petition’s second detention grounds reveal that while in detention, Amritpal Singh remained in contact with his associates in India and abroad, directing separatist activities. Specifically, he was in contact with Pro-Khalistani Entities (PKEs) — the petition names Avtar Singh Khanda (UK) and Hardeep Singh Nijjar (Canada). Both are identified as designated terrorists. The petition states that Amritpal Singh circulated a letter on social media from Dibrugarh Jail, signed jointly by himself and co-detenues, which provocated youth and masses to avenge the killings of these PKE figures. Punjab Police’s position is that this communication from inside jail, provoking retaliation for the deaths of designated terrorists, itself constituted fresh grounds for continuing detention.
7. Mastermind Behind the Murder of Gurpreet Singh Harinau
The third and most recent detention order, passed in April 2025, cited Amritpal Singh as the mastermind and key conspirator in the murder of Gurpreet Singh Harinau, who was eliminated on October 9, 2024. Harinau had publicly spoken against Amritpal Singh’s ideology and activities. According to the petition, after Harinau’s murder, a hit list of 14 individuals who had been vocal opponents of Amritpal Singh came to be on record — people at risk of being eliminated for speaking out. A case in connection with Harinau’s murder is being tried at Faridkot. The petition records that witness statements in the murder case revealed plans to use drug money to smuggle weapons into India for the purpose of creating a Khalistan State — described in the HC judgment as “direct proof of raging war against the State.”
8. A Hit List That Keeps Growing
Punjab Police’s intelligence apparatus had on October 9, 2024 — the very day of Harinau’s murder — circulated an alert to all Commissioners of Police and Senior Superintendents of Police across Punjab, warning that 14-15 named individuals who had opposed Amritpal Singh or appeared as complainants in the Ajnala case were under direct threat. The petition notes that the fear was proven well-founded when Harinau, who was on that list, was killed the same day the alert was issued. In the petition filed in April 2026, police allege that the threat to these individuals remains live and that Amritpal’s release from NSA detention would reactivate and intensify this threat.
9. Murder of YouTuber Nancy Grewal — Followers Took Responsibility
On March 4, 2026 — just weeks before this petition was filed — a Punjab-origin YouTuber named Nancy Grewal was stabbed to death by an unknown assailant. The petition states that Grewal was well known for vocally and openly criticising the radical activities and ideology of Amritpal Singh. Subsequently, two individuals identified as Pro-Khalistani Elements (PKEs) — Akash Harike and Sukha Sandhu — claimed responsibility for the murder. The petition further states that both Harike and Sandhu have been identified as followers of Amritpal Singh and members of Waris Punjab De. A case has been registered in connection with the murder in Amritsar. Police allege that this killing, allegedly carried out by Amritpal’s followers targeting his critics, just weeks before his NSA expires, makes his release a direct public order risk.
10. Witness Intimidation and Threats to Lawyers
The petition flags a disturbing pattern of witnesses and legal professionals being threatened. Parminder Singh Vij, an advocate appearing on behalf of the complainant Varinder Singh in a case registered against Amritpal Singh, was found to be under continuous threat for contesting the case against him. An application from Vij was placed before the court, which directed the Commissioner of Police, Amritsar to look into the matter — acknowledging the seriousness of the threat. The petition notes that professionals, lawyers and others who have appeared against Amritpal Singh in any capacity — as complainants, witnesses, or counsel — have been receiving serious threats to their lives and liberty. Police argue that allowing Amritpal to walk free without arrest would immediately re-expose these individuals to danger.
11. Pakistan Phone Call to Harinau Murder Witness — One Day Before Testimony
In what police describe as one of the most chilling pieces of fresh evidence, a witness in the Gurpreet Singh Harinau murder case received a threatening phone call from a Pakistani mobile number on April 5, 2026, just one day before he was due to be produced and deposed as a witness in the murder case at Faridkot. A case was subsequently registered at Police Station in Jalandhar district. Police allege this call is directly connected to Amritpal Singh’s network and represents active cross-border interference in a criminal trial on Indian soil, days before the petition was filed.
12. Chandigarh Grenade Attack and Threats to Government
On April 1, 2026 — barely two weeks before this petition was filed — a grenade attack took place in Sector 37, Chandigarh. The attack caused property damage but fortunately no loss of life. Following the attack, a radical organisation calling itself “Sikh Tigers of Khalistan” posted a letterhead on social media claiming responsibility and threatening that the Government of India and the Punjab Government would face “dire consequences” for imposing restraints on Amritpal Singh and others. A case was subsequently registered by Amritsar Police. Punjab Police has placed this incident before the court as evidence that the threat ecosystem around Amritpal Singh is not historical — it is active, current, and escalating precisely because his NSA detention is about to end.
THE ASK: WHY DIBRUGARH, NOT PUNJAB
The petition explicitly states that lodging Amritpal Singh in any Punjab jail after arrest would “not only prejudice the maintenance of public order but would also adversely threaten the security of the state” given the activities of his supporters. It seeks the High Court’s direction to continue holding him at Dibrugarh Central Jail, Assam — and to conduct all criminal proceedings including remand, chargesheet, and trial through video conferencing — invoking the extraordinary powers of Article 226 and 227 of the Constitution.
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