AMRITSAR: Jailed pro-Khalistan activist Amritpal Singh, who recently won the parliamentary poll as an Independent from Khadoor Sahib in Punjab, has been granted four-day parole beginning July 5 for taking oath as a Lok Sabha member.
Detained under the stringent National Security Act and lodged at the high-security Dibrugarh jail in Assam, Amritpal was likely to be flown to Delhi in a helicopter, said police sources. A senior police official said the oath would take place on July 5.
Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Ghanshyam Thori confirmed that Amritpal had been granted parole “for up to four days”. Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa, Independent MP from Faridkot, too confirmed this through a post on his social media account, citing information from Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.
“Amritpal Singh has been granted parole for up to four days or less beginning July 5, with certain conditions that have been communicated to the Dibrugarh Jail Superintendent. The parole is specifically for oath-taking,” said Thori.
The Deputy Commissioner said the newly elected MP had been told “not to indulge in any activity detrimental to the interests of the state” during the parole period. He said the Amritsar (Rural) SSP had been directed to ensure compliance with the parole terms. A police team led by SP (D) Harinder Singh would accompany Amritpal to Delhi, it is learnt.
Rajdev Singh Khalsa, former MP and Amritpal’s spokesperson, said he learnt about the parole from the Faridkot MP’s social media post. He said an MP-elect could take oath within 60 days of the election result.
Amritpal’s mother Balwinder Kaur said the family learnt about it from news platforms. “We haven’t received any such information from the district administration… In case he gets parole, he should also be brought to Punjab so that he can thank his supporters who voted for him,” she said.
Securing over four lakhs votes, Amritpal had defeated his nearest rival Kulbir Singh Zira of the Congress by a margin of over 1.97 lakh votes.
Amritpal was arrested by the Punjab Police from Rode village in Moga in April last year. He along with hundreds of his supporters had stormed the Ajnala police station and freed from custody his aide Lovepreet Singh Toofan, who was arrested for allegedly kidnapping and assaulting a youth. Amritpal was also one of the suspects in a case in which several police personnel were injured.
He along with his associates was booked for spreading disharmony, attacking and injuring public servants and obstructing them from discharging their duty. Following his arrest, the government invoked the NSA against him and his nine associates and shifted them to the Dibrugarh Jail.