The Punjab government has refused to grant parole to Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh, who remains detained under the National Security Act (NSA), so that he can attend the ongoing winter session of Parliament, an official aware of the matter said. Singh has been kept in the high-security jail in Dibrugarh, Assam, since his arrest in April 2023.
“Deputy Commissioner Dalwinderjit Singh has rejected Amritpal’s parole application, citing potential law and order issues after receiving a report from the district police. A detailed order has been passed in this regard,” the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.
Neither the Deputy Commissioner nor any other government official could be reached for comment. This marks the second occasion on which the Punjab government has turned down a parole request from the incarcerated MP. As a result, Amritpal Singh has not attended even a single session of Parliament since his election.
On November 21, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had directed the Punjab government to take a decision within one week on Amritpal’s representation seeking temporary release to enable him to attend the winter session of Parliament.
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In his application, Amritpal invoked Section 15 of the National Security Act, which allows the competent authority to grant parole to a detainee in exceptional circumstances. He requested interim release from detention so he could participate in the Parliament session scheduled from December 1 to 15. The radical Sikh leader contended in his plea that Parliament is a constitutional body and that, as the elected representative of Khadoor Sahib, he has a right to take part in its proceedings.
Amritpal Singh, who openly models himself on the slain militant preacher Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, was arrested on April 23, 2023, from Rode village in Moga district after a manhunt that lasted over a month. The Khalistan sympathiser had earlier evaded police on March 18, 2023, in Jalandhar district by switching vehicles and altering his appearance. The massive crackdown by Punjab Police began after Amritpal and his armed supporters stormed and laid siege to the Ajnala police station on the outskirts of Amritsar on February 23, 2023, demanding the release of one of his close aides.
Also Read: HC asks Punjab to decide on Amritpal’s parole in a week
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