Amritpal Singh Biography: Amritpal Singh Sandhu is a self-styled Indian Khalistani separatist activist from Punjab, India. He heads an organisation called Waris Punjab De, which was formed by Punjabi actor-turned-activist Deep Sidhu to fight for social justice and preserve the rights and culture of Punjab. Amritpal Singh has been involved in several controversies for his remarks against Hinduism, Christianity, and Sikhism, as well as for his alleged role in the murder of Sudhir Suri, a Hindu activist who was shot dead in Amritsar in 2022.
Early life and education
Amritpal Singh Sandhu was born on January 18, 1993 (age 30 as of 2023) in Jallupur Khera village in Baba Bakala tehsil of Amritsar district in Punjab, India. His father’s name is Tarsem Singh, and his mother’s name is Balwinder Kaur. He has twin sisters and an older brother.
He went to a local school until he was in the 10th grade. After that, he signed up for a polytechnic course in Kapurthala, Punjab, but he didn’t finish it. He moved to Dubai in 2012 to join his family’s transport business.
Marriage
On February 10, 2023, he got married to Kirandeep Kaur, a UK-based NRI woman, in his ancestral village. Deep Sidhu and various other Waris Punjabi De members attended the wedding.
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Career
Amritpal Singh came back to India from Dubai on August 20, 2022, to take over as leader of Waris Punjab De after Deep Sidhu said he was leaving politics. He said that Deep Sidhu’s vision had inspired him and that he wanted to carry on his work.
He started speaking in public at different places in Punjab, where he pushed for Sikh independence and criticised the Indian government. He also criticised Hinduism and Christianity for being oppressive religions that enslaved Sikhs for centuries.
Some young Sikhs liked him because they saw him as the next Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. Bhindranwale was the leader of the militant group Damdami Taksal, which led an armed uprising against the Indian government in the 1980s.
He also got a bad name in other communities for making speeches that hurt their religious feelings and caused tensions between them.
Controversies
Amritpal Singh has been embroiled in several controversies for his radical views and actions. Some of them are:
House Arrest Under Sudhir Suri’s Murder Case
In October 2022, Amritpal Singh was briefly put under house arrest by police at Singhawala village in Moga district after his name cropped up in the murder case of Sudhir Suri, who was shot dead by Sandeep Singh alias Sunny outside Gopal Mandir in Amritsar on September 29, 2022, while protesting against some Hindu idols found dumped on the roadside. Some news stories say that Suri’s family blamed Amritpal for getting Sunny to kill Suri. The police also installed CCTV cameras around Amritpal’s houses to monitor his movements.
Remarks Against Jesus Christ
In November 2022, Christians in Jalandhar’s PAP Chowk protested against Amritpal Singh for making offensive remarks about Jesus Christ at a rally in Rode village, Moga district, on November 14. He said, “Jesus, who could not save himself, how will he save everyone else?” The protesters demanded an FIR against him under Section 295A of the IPC for hurting religious sentiments and attempting to aggravate communal divisions.
Remarks Against Guru Nanak Dev Ji
In December 2022, when Amritpal Singh questioned Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s teachings, he made a lot of Sikhs angry. On the seventh anniversary of the Behbal Kalan killings, where two Sikhs died as a result of police fire during a protest against sacrilege incidents, he did this while speaking at Tibbi Sahib Gurdwara in the Faridkot district. He said, “Guru Nanak Dev Ji said there is no Hindu or Muslim, but only one God. But today, we see Hindus killing Muslims and Muslims killing Hindus. Where is God then? Is Guru Nanak Dev Ji wrong?” Many Sikh organisations condemned him and demanded action for disrespecting Guru Nanak Dev Ji.