Separatist Amritpal Singh denies mother’s ‘not Khalistani supporter’ claim

A day after he took oath as Member of Parliament in Lok Sabha, jailed separatist Amritpal Singh again pitched for Khalistan demand, saying “dreaming of a Khalsa state is not a crime”.

In a statement issued by his team on X, Amritpal Singh spoke about his mother’s recent remark where she claimed that her son was not a Khalistani supporter and demanded that he be released.

“When I came to know about the statement given by mother yesterday, my heart was very sad. I am sure that this statement was made unintentionally by my mother, but still such a statement should not come from my family or any person who supports me,” he said.

“Dreaming of a Khalsa state is not a crime. It is a matter of pride. We cannot even dream of backing down from the path for which millions of Sikhs have sacrificed their lives,” he added.

On Friday, July 5, Amritpal Singh and Sheikh Abdul Rashid, also known as ‘Engineer Rashid’, took oath as Lok Sabha MPs. Both Singh and Rashid were released from jail in order to take oath as Members of Parliament from Khadoor Sahib in Punjab and Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir, respectively.

Amritpal Singh was lodged in Assam’s Dibrugarh jail along with his other associates for offences under the National Security Act. He was granted a a four-day custody parole, beginning July 5, in view of the travel from Assam to Delhi and back.

Amritpal Singh, who styled himself after slain Khalistani terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, was arrested in Moga’s Rode village on April 23 last year following an over a month-long manhunt.

The Punjab Police had launched the crackdown after the February 23 Ajnala incident last year in which Amritpal Singh and his supporters, some of them brandishing swords and guns, broke through barricades and barged into the police station on the outskirts of Amritsar, and clashed with police for the release of Lovepreet Singh Toofan, one of his aides.

He and his associates were booked under several criminal cases related to spreading disharmony among classes, attempt to murder, attack on police personnel and creating obstructions in the lawful discharge of duty by public servants.