In a significant development, Amritpal Singh, the Waris Punjab De chief and the Member of Parliament (MP)-elect for Punjab’s Khadoor Sahib parliamentary constituency, has been granted conditional custody parole. This decision allows Singh to take the oath of office as an MP today. Amritpal Singh is currently incarcerated under the National Security Act (NSA) in Assam’s high-security Dibrugarh Jail.
The parole, which could last no more than four days, started on July 5. This was confirmed by Ghanshyam Thori, the deputy commissioner of Amritsar, who was given the authority by the Punjab government to finalize Singh’s parole arrangements. Thori mentioned that the superintendent of Dibrugarh Jail has been informed of the specifics regarding the parole terms, as reported by the Times of India.
Amritpal Singh is scheduled to take his oath of office as an MP on July 5 in the speaker’s chamber. This was verified by Sarabjit Singh, the MP for Faridkot, who had a meeting with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla at his Delhi residence on Wednesday. Sarabjit Singh conveyed that the speaker’s office had reached out to the relevant authorities to ensure that the imprisoned MP-elect would be brought to Delhi on the specified date.
Sources have indicated that Singh will not be allowed to use cell phones, access the internet, communicate with the media, or be photographed during his parole period. These stringent measures are part of the conditions imposed to limit his interaction with the outside world.
Pro-Khalistan leader Amritpal Singh ran as an independent candidate in the Lok Sabha elections for the Khadoor Sahib parliamentary constituency. He emerged victorious against prominent political figures, including senior Congress leader Kulbir Singh Zira, Punjab cabinet minister Laljit Singh Bhullar, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader, and Akali stalwart Virsa Singh Valtoha. Singh achieved a remarkable win with a margin of 197,120 votes.
In preparation for Singh’s transport to Delhi, a team from the Amritsar police department has reportedly already departed for Dibrugarh. Their task is to complete the necessary paperwork to transfer Singh to and from the national capital.
. It has been suggested that an Army plane might be utilized to facilitate his travel to Delhi.
Meanwhile, Kashmiri leader Sheikh Abdul Rashid, also known as Engineer Rashid, who is presently being held in Tihar Jail, has been granted a two-hour custody parole by a Delhi court. This provision allows him to take the oath of office as an MP on July 5. Rashid ran as an independent from Baramulla and defeated National Conference candidate Omar Abdullah by a margin exceeding two lakh votes in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections.
Amritpal Singh’s political journey aligns with that of several of his aides. A trio of Singh’s associates, who were detained with him in Dibrugarh jail under the NSA, have declared their intention to contest in the upcoming Punjab assembly bypolls from the constituencies of Gidderbaha, Barnala, and Baba Bakala.
Both the Delhi Police and Punjab Police have been instructed to coordinate with the secretary-general of the Lok Sabha to ensure the smooth execution of procedures within the Parliament complex. These directives underscore the high-security environment surrounding Singh’s parole and subsequent oath-taking ceremony.
The name of Engineer Rashid surfaced during the investigation of Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Watali. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had arrested Watali for allegedly funding terrorist groups and separatist organizations in the Kashmir valley. The NIA filed a charge sheet against several individuals including Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik, Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed, and Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin. In 2022, Malik was sentenced to life imprisonment by a trial court after he pleaded guilty to all charges against him.
Amritpal Singh has fashioned himself after the slain Khalistani militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. Along with nine of his associates, he is currently detained under the National Security Act. Other newly-elected MPs, such as TMC’s Shatrughan Sinha, are also awaiting their official swearing-in as members of the Lower House of Parliament.
With inputs from various agencies, this news highlights a significant intersection of politics, security, and judiciary as it chronicles the journey of two prominent leaders taking their oaths under unique circumstances.
