A second video by Sikh nationalist leader Amritpal Singh, who has dodged police for the last 13 days, has been released on YouTube, saying he will not surrender. An earlier video of Amritpal Singh surfaced on social media in which he slammed the Punjab Police for arresting Sikh youths during a crackdown against him in Punjab imposing internet blackouts.
Ferocious debates raged not only in Punjab but across the Punjabi diaspora, between supporters and detractors of the 29-year-old leader who, up until the middle of last year, was not known for being anything more than a ‘transporter’ working in Dubai. Amritpal Singh first caught public attention through his pro Sikh nationalist posts on social media, and prolific exchanges with those who opposed his views.
The death of Deep Sidhu— actor-turned-radical activist who came into prominence for allegedly masterminding the farmers’ diversion to the Red Fort on Republic Day—in a car accident in February last year seems to have been the trigger for Amritpal Singht to return to Punjab. Avowed supporter of Sidhu, he came back home in September, and was swiftly appointed head of a splinter group of ‘Waris Punjab De’, an organization founded by Sidhu.
He returned to Punjab in August 2022 with a flowing beard and turban. He gave up his role in the family’s business and also his permanent resident status in Canada. In September, he got baptized at Anandpur Sahib in front of a larger gathering.
Amritpal Singh quickly gained fame for his work on Punjab’s drug crisis and his calls for youth to reclaim their religious roots. He ran two addictions centres and was welcoming anyone who wanted to get his support free of cost.
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