The detention of newly elected Punjab MP Amritpal Singh and nine others under the National Security Act at Dibrugarh Central Jail in Assam was prolonged for an additional year on Wednesday.
Amritpal Singh has been incarcerated since March of the previous year.
Initially, the detention period for Amritpal Singh, the leader of 'Waris Punjab De,' and three of his associates was scheduled to end on July 24, while six other associates were to be released on June 18.
In his first electoral run, the Sikh radical Amritpal Singh secured the Khadoor Sahib seat by a margin of 1,97,120 votes against his closest competitor, Congress candidate Kulbir Singh Zira.
To his supporters and sympathizers, Amritpal Singh is viewed as the modern successor to Sikh separatist leaders like Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who perished during the Indian Army’s Operation Blue Star in 1984. Singh himself regards Bhindranwale as an inspirational figure.
Amritpal Singh, activist of pro-Khalistan movement and self-styled preacher of religion, was active in spreading separatist ideology through his speeches before his arrest.
With central investigative agencies keeping a close watch, Amritpal Singh was often compared with Bhindranwale by his resemblance, sporting a navy blue turban, a white chola, and a sword-sized kirpan.
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