Amritpal Singh, leader of the 'Waris Punjab De' organization and a Khalistani supporter detained under the National Security Act (NSA) in Dibrugarh jail, Assam, has been preparing to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Punjab. He approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court aiming to file his nomination, requesting a temporary release of seven days for the process. The court, however, dismissed Amritpal Singh's plea.
As an independent candidate, Amritpal Singh contests the parliamentary seat from Khadoor Sahib, Punjab. Today, Justice Vinod S. Bhardwaj, presiding over the case in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, ruled against the plea.
Through his petition, Amritpal urged the court to direct the Punjab government, the Election Commission of India, the superintendent of Dibrugarh Central Jail, and the Punjab State Election Commission, facilitating his nomination through the appointment of electoral agents. He insisted on the necessity of filing the nomination papers.
Amritpal's father, Tarsem Singh, claimed his son decided to run for office in response to his supporters' request. He has garnered support from Simranjit Singh Mann and Paramjit Kaur Khalra. It is worth mentioning that Khalra secured over two hundred thousand votes in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections for the Khadoor Sahib seat. Simranjit Singh Mann supported Amritpal and retracted his own candidacy from the constituency. Deep Sidhu's brother, Sandeep Sidhu, also campaigns for Amritpal.
Amritpal chose the Khadoor Sahib constituency because it encompasses his ancestral village and is home to hundreds of Khalistani supporters within the Tarn Taran belt. This belt, once a hub of separatist activities, lies adjacent to the India-Pakistan border. The Shiromani Akali Dal has fielded senior party leader Virsa Singh Valtoha against Amritpal, with Valtoha reminding voters during his campaign of his role during the insurgency era in Punjab.
Last year on February 23, Amritpal and his associates launched an assault on the Ajnala police station armed with swords, sticks, and staves. The chaos ensued for around eight hours, ignited by the demand for the release of Amritpal's supporter, Lovepreet Toofan. Lovepreet was detained on charges of assaulting and kidnapping a man named Barinder Singh. After the upheaval, he was eventually released by the police.
Following this incident, the police registered a case and arrested many of Amritpal's associates, while he remained at large for days. The Punjab police subsequently imposed the National Security Act, NSA, on Amritpal, leading to his arrest about two months later. Since then, he has been confined in Dibrugarh jail in Assam, with multiple cases pending against him.
