The detention of newly elected Punjab MP Amritpal Singh and nine others under the National Security Act (NSA) at Dibrugarh Central Jail in Assam was extended for a year on Wednesday. Amritpal Singh, along with his associates, had been in jail since March last year. Singh's lawyer said that the extension of the NSA on Khadoor Sahib MP till March 2025 was "against the law".
Amritpal Singh, the chief of 'Waris Punjab De,' and three of his associates had their NSA detention initially set to expire on July 24, while the detention for six other associates was due to end on June 18.
Amritpal Singh's lawyer, Harpal Singh Khara, told ANI, "This is against the law. The Bhagwant Mann government has made a wrong decision. 10 people are in jail without any FIR against them. People have given him such a big mandate in Khadoor Sahib. If people have faith in him, what problem does the government have? This a black day for democracy in India because an MP, who has won with such a huge margin, is being kept in jail without any FIR... Bhagwant Mann is an anti-Sikh leader".
In his first electoral contest Amritpal Singh, a Sikh radical, won the Khadoor Sahib seat by 1,97,120 votes over his nearest rival, Congress candidate Kulbir Singh Zira.
For his supporters and sympathisers, Amritpal Singh is seen as the next generation of Sikh 'separatist leaders' like Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who was killed in the Indian Amry's Operation Blue Star in 1984. Singh considers Bhindranwale an "inspiration".
Amritpal Singh, a pro-Khalistan advocate and self-styled preacher, had been spreading 'separatist' propaganda through his speeches before his imprisonment.
Under scrutiny by Central investigating agencies, he drew comparisons to Bhindranwale due to his appearances, often seen wearing a navy blue turban, a white chola, and carrying a sword-sized kirpan.