According to intelligence agencies, Amritpal Singh, who presents himself as a pro-Khalistan leader fighting for Sikh pride, is suspected to have been ‘planted’ by Pakistan’s ISI with the intention of fomenting separatist sentiments in Punjab and facilitating the trafficking of drugs and arms from Pakistan to India. The agencies believe that Amritpal is aligned with known terrorists and drug dealers, including Jaswant Singh Rode, whose brother Lakhbir Singh Rode is allegedly involved in drug trafficking from Pakistan to India. Amritpal is suspected to be involved in narco-terrorism, which has led to an increase in drone sightings carrying drugs from across the border since his arrival in Punjab.
Amritpal’s London-based handler, Avtar Singh Khanda, has links with terrorist and BKI chief Paramjeet Singh Pamma, who is accused of sending drugs to India. Amritpal is also known to share cross-border linkages with drug dealers based in Pakistan. Harvinder Singh Rinda, another terrorist, is said to be behind Amritpal’s rise, and Ravel Singh, who had given his Mercedes car to Amritpal, is also under scrutiny for alleged links to the drug trade.
Amritpal has been accused of attempting to vitiate the peaceful atmosphere of Punjab through crimes such as abduction and assault, openly defying authorities, vandalizing gurdwaras, making provocative speeches, and promoting gun culture. His private militia is named Anandpur Khalsa Fauj/AKF. He and his associates sought to defy the Punjab government’s order not to display weapons in the open and allegedly beat youths in drug de-addiction centers who refused to subscribe to their radical and violent ideology.
Amritpal is suspected to have a role in the murder of Hindu activist Sudhir Suri in November 2022 in Amritsar. One of the self-radicalized killers allegedly associated with Amritpal had an AKF sticker on his car. Some WPD associates of Amritpal have been sent to prisons outside Punjab due to concerns that they could indulge in a jailbreak, radicalize other jailed criminals and associate them with AKF, and run their criminal activities behind bars.
An officer claimed that Amritpal and WPD are not saviors of the Sikh panth but rather a team of criminally-inclined individuals who have joined hands for personal gain and power. The team includes Amritpal, a truck driver who lived a modern life in Dubai; actor Daljit Kalsi involved in financial fraud; Papalpreet, a small-time reporter; and Gurmeet Bukkanwala, who owns a furniture shop. The officer believes that the team capitalized on the sudden death of Deep Sidhu and took advantage of it for their personal rise to power.
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