Intelligence agencies say that Amritpal Singh has been getting weapons from Pakistan. (file)
New Delhi:
Radical preacher Amritpal Singh, who has been on the run since March 18, was on Sunday taken to the Dibrugarh Central Jail, hours after he surrendered before the Punjab Police. Eight of his associates are already lodged in the high-security jail, which is one of the oldest and most secure prisons in the Northeast.
Sources said that the reason for moving Amritpal Singh and his associates to the other side of the country is that north Indian jails are more likely to have them or gangsters linked to the separatist movement.
Sources said the language barrier is another reason preventing the accused from associating with other inmates and jail staff, adding that Dibrugarh is a very secure jail. Besides, the local Sikh community is not sympathetic to the Khalistan movement, he said.
Dibrugarh Jail has never had a major jailbreak incident in its nearly 170-year history, furthering its reputation of being a highly secure prison. Sources said the location of the jail in the heart of Dibrugarh city is an advantage for the officials to prevent any escape attempt, which is located on the outskirts of the city or in remote areas.
Security has been tightened around the jail premises after four members of ‘Waris Punjab De’ (WPD) were brought here on March 19. Now, the jail reportedly has 24-hour three-tier security.
“The jail premises have been cordoned off by elite Black Cat commandos of Assam Police, CRPF and other security personnel,” an official told news agency PTI.
In addition, local media reports claim that new CCTV cameras have been installed in front of the cells containing Amritpal Singh’s associates, and that malfunctioning cameras have also been fixed or replaced.
A heavy security convoy carrying Amritpal Singh reached the jail from Dibrugarh airport at around 2.20 pm today from Bathinda. Officials told PTI that multi-layered security arrangements have been made at the Central Jail.
Built by the British in 1860, the prison has a population of 680 prisoners, according to the fortnightly prison population records released by the Government of Assam. Dibrugarh Jail is currently the third most populous Central Jail in the state, ahead only of Guwahati and Tezpur Central Jails. The Dibrugarh Central Jail was also historically at the center of the ULFA insurgency in Assam and many top leaders of the group were imprisoned there.
Earlier on Sunday, Inspector General of Punjab Police Sukhchain Singh Gill said that Amritpal Singh would be taken to Dibrugarh under the National Security Act (NSA).
Intelligence agencies say that Amritpal Singh is procuring weapons from Pakistan through his spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence and is trying to divide Punjab on communal lines. Amritpal Singh was allegedly leading the youth towards “gun culture”.
He and his associates were booked under several criminal cases relating to promoting enmity between classes, attempt to murder, assault on police personnel and obstructing public servants in lawful discharge of duty.