Amritpal Singh & Associates’ NSA Extension, Mother Detained & Released

On 13 Mar, Amritsar Deputy Commissioner (DC) Ghanshyam Thori proposed reasons to extend Amritpal Singh and associates’ detention under National Security Act before India's Ministry of Home Affairs (SDW Vol. 2 Issue 13, Story 5). The issues raised are alleged misuse of a telephone facility in jail to spread anti-national sentiment, and recovery of material allegedly used to communicate with Khalistani elements in Pakistan and other countries. The DC’s proposal has a set of 44 annexures, most of which are audio and video clips to support the grounds for detention. The DC has prepared a separate proposal for each detainee, seeking an extension of detention by listing grounds for each of them. On 8 Apr, Amritpal Singh's mother was placed under preventive arrest in Amritsar before a proposed Chetna (Awareness) March from Takht Damdama Sahib in Bathinda. Balwinder Kaur’s demand is to shift the Waris Punjab De chief from the Dibrugarh Central Jail in Assam, where he has been lodged since his arrest in April 2023, to a prison in Panjab. Since 22 Feb this year, Kaur and relatives of the nine associates have staged a hunger strike near the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Upon release after 8 days, Kaur stated she is disappointed with the leadership and the community. Meanwhile, the court of Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMIC) Ajnala Gurpreet Kaur on 17 Apr discharged Chanpreet Kaur for lack of evidence in a February 2023 case registered at Ajnala police station for extending help to Bikramjit Singh, a close associate of Amritpal Singh, who is believed to have gone underground. She was taken into custody by authorities on 14 Apr 2024 from Indira Gandhi Airport in Delhi.