No word on release, Amritpal may not take oath as MP today
The Punjab government had recently extended the NSA detention of Amritpal and his nine accomplices by a year
: Sikh radical preacher and NSA detainee Amritpal Singh may not be able to take oath as member of Parliament (MP) on Tuesday as the Punjab government is yet to decide on his temporary release from Dibrugarh jail where he is detained since April 23 last year under the stringent National Security Act (NSA).
Amritpal, head of the ‘Waris Punjab De’ outfit, won the recently held Lok Sabha election from the Khadoor Sahib seat as an Independent defeating his nearest rival, Congress candidate Kulbir Singh Zira, by a margin of 1,97,120 votes.
His name is on the list of newly elected Lok Sabha members from Punjab who would take oath in the Parliament on June 25. According to a senior government functionary, there is no plan as of now to take Amritpal to the Parliament for taking oath.
“There is no plan to take Amritpal for the oath-taking ceremony on Tuesday. The state has taken this decision after deliberations with national security agencies. The NSA detainee can take the oath later,” said a government functionary not wishing to be named.
The Punjab government had recently extended the NSA detention of Amritpal and his nine accomplices by a year.
The official order in this regard was passed by the home department on June 3, a day before the results for the Lok Sabha polls was declared.
The fresh orders say Amritpal will remain in NSA custody till April 23, 2025.
The detention was extended on the recommendation of the advisory board headed by a retired judge of the Delhi high court.
While speaking over phone, Amritpal’s mother Balwinder Kaur said: “We have no information till now if he is being escorted from Dibrugarh jail to New Delhi or not.”
Amritpal’s lawyer Rajwinder Singh Bains also said that they have no information in this regard. On June 11, Amritpal wrote to the Punjab government seeking temporary release for taking oath as an MP. However, the government is silent over this plea submitted through the Dibrugarh jail superintendent to Amritsar deputy commissioner Ghanshyam Thori for further process.
Meanwhile, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) junior vice-president Gurbaksh Singh Khalsa member and president of Sikh Students Federation (SSF) Gurcharan Singh Grewal on Monday met Akal Takht jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh and sought his intervention in getting Sikh prisoners and Dibrugarh NSA detenues, including Amritpal Singh, released from the jail. They also urged him to issue ‘hukamnama’ (decree) for Panthic unity.