Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh taken into custody after NSA detention ends

Guwahati: Amritpal Singh, the chief of Waris Punjab De and Member of Parliament for Khadoor Sahib, was taken into police custody on Thursday following the expiration of his detention under the National Security Act (NSA).

A team from the Punjab Police executed the arrest at Dibrugarh Central Jail in connection with the 2023 Ajnala police station attack case. Singh’s three-year NSA term ended at midnight on Wednesday, April 22.

Punjab Police on Thursday brought Amritpal Singh to the Dibrugarh Sadar Police Station after getting a two-day remand for interrogation in connection.


The case pertains to the Ajnala Police Station case. Jailed MP and radical preacher Amritpal Singh was escorted to the police station under tight security. The transfer was conducted under heavy security, involving an 11-vehicle police convoy including Punjab Police, Assam Police, and Assam Police commandos. It was led by a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) from Punjab with Dibrugarh Additional SP (Crime) Atul Kumar present to oversee the transition.

The development follows a recent order by the Punjab and Haryana High Court allowing the Punjab Police to arrest Amritpal Singh in the Ajnala case while permitting his continued detention in an Assam jail. The court cited potential law and order concerns if he were to be shifted to Punjab.

As per the order, all legal proceedings, including remand hearings, are to be conducted via video conferencing from a trial court in Amritsar, ensuring access to legal representation without requiring physical transfer.

The case pertains to a February 24, 2023, FIR involving charges against Amritpal Singh and around 40 others under various sections of the IPC, including attempt to murder, assault on public servants, rioting, criminal conspiracy, and violations of the Arms Act.

Police officials said interrogation is underway. His custody under the National Security Act (NSA) expired on Wednesday. He was re-arrested on Thursday.

A senior Assam police official said, “Amritpal Singh will remain in Punjab Police custody for the next two days. He was brought from Dibrugarh Central Jail to Dibrugarh Sadar Police Station, where tight security arrangements have been put in place.”

In April last 2023 fugitive Amritpal Singh was brought to Dibrugarh Central jail. Along with him several other associates were detained in Dibrugarh jail.

Addressing the media, Amritpal Singh’s lawyer Jasbir Kaur confirmed the custody arrangement.

"Amritpal Singh has been taken into two days of police custody by Punjab Police. He will be interrogated by the Punjab Police team at Dibrugarh Police Station in connection with the Ajnala police station attack case. After that, he will be again brought to Dibrugarh Central Jail and kept there."

She further noted that the trial proceedings will be conducted through videoconferencing from Punjab.

Beyond the Ajnala case, Singh is named in approximately 12 other FIRs related to violence and intimidation across various districts in Punjab. He was also recently named as a conspirator in the murder of social media influencer Gurpreet Singh, which occurred in October 2024.