Indian police have arrested Amritpal Singh, a Sikh separatist, after more than a month-long search, according to a state police official.
The arrest comes amid concerns about the resurgence of an independent Sikh homeland in Punjab, which borders Pakistan.
Amritpal Singh, a preacher in the majority-Sikh state of Punjab, has brought the idea of Khalistan, an independent Sikh homeland, back into focus. This has raised concerns about a potential return to the widespread violence that resulted in tens of thousands of deaths during the Sikh insurgency of the 1980s and early 1990s.
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Punjab Police Chief Sukhbir Singh Gill announced at a press conference that Amritpal Singh was arrested in Rode village, Moga district, Punjab, based on specific intelligence. The 30-year-old is the leader of a group called Waris Punjab De (the heirs of Punjab). He was apprehended after he and hundreds of his followers attacked a police station with swords and firearms, demanding the release of one of his associates.
Singh has been on the run since mid-March. The police have accused him and his supporters of attempted murder, obstruction of justice, and inciting discord. He was arrested in a village gurudwara, a Sikh temple, under the National Security Act, which allows individuals considered a threat to national security to be detained without charge for up to a year.
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Gill stated that Singh would be transferred to Dibrugarh, Assam, where some of his associates are already in custody. The arrest of Amritpal Singh highlights the ongoing tension in the region and the potential for escalating violence in pursuit of an independent Sikh homeland.
