Seven associates of Amritpal Singh remanded in police custody for Ajnala police station attack

A Punjab court on Friday, March 21, sent seven associates of jailed pro-Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh to four-day police custody in connection with the 2023 Ajnala police station attack case. The court approved the remand to facilitate further interrogation and evidence recovery.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Inderjeet Singh confirmed that the Punjab Police had initially sought a seven-day remand, but the court granted only four days. "We have obtained a four-day remand of seven accused. They will be presented before the court again on March 25," Singh said.

The arrested individuals, previously lodged in Assam’s Dibrugarh jail under the National Security Act (NSA), were detained again upon their release. Authorities allege they attacked the Ajnala police station with weapons. Singh emphasised the importance of recovering evidence, including vehicles and mobile phones, which the accused may have attempted to destroy.

Advocate Ritu Raj Sandhu, representing one of the accused, stated that the police are primarily seeking mobile phones and weapons. The arrested individuals have been identified as Basant Singh, Bhagwant Singh Bajekhana, Gurmeet Singh Bukkanwala, Sarabjit Kalsi, Ranjeet Kalsi, Gurinder Pal Singh Gurri Aujla, Harjeet Singh alias Chacha, and Kulwant Singh.

Earlier, the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) court in Dibrugarh had granted transit remand for two accused, Basant Singh and Sarabjeet Singh Gill. These individuals were required to appear before a Punjab court by March 23. Three more accused were also scheduled to be produced for transit remand as Punjab Police continued their investigation into the Ajnala attack case.

On Thursday, seven of Amritpal Singh’s associates were transported from Dibrugarh to Punjab by air. The transfer occurred in phases, with three individuals flown out first, followed by the remaining four. Government sources have not disclosed the exact details of how many individuals were transported.

The re-arrest of the seven individuals came immediately after their NSA detention period ended. A 25-member Punjab Police team, led by Superintendent of Police Harinder Singh Gill, had been in Dibrugarh for days to oversee the transfer. Officials confirmed that Kulwant Singh, Harjeet Singh, and Gurinder Pal Singh were released on Wednesday, only to be immediately re-arrested in connection with the Ajnala police station attack case.