After weeks of manhunt, the Indian police arrested a radical Sikh preacher. As the police announced on Twitter today, Amritpal Singh was arrested in Moga in the northern Indian state of Punjab. The police urged the population to maintain “peace and harmony” and not to spread false news. According to media reports, Singh turned himself in to the police.
Singh, 30, caused a stir earlier this year by calling for the establishment of an independent Sikh state called Khalistan. The Sikhs are a religious minority in India, living primarily in the Punjab and neighboring states.
In February, the preacher and followers armed with swords, knives and pistols stormed a police station in Amritsar after a supporter of Singh was arrested. Several police officers were injured, which increased the pressure on the authorities to take action against the radical preacher.
Since then, the police have tried unsuccessfully to arrest Singh for weeks. He almost got caught in mid-March after reportedly escaping police on a motorcycle after changing at a Sikh temple.
