After hundreds of supports of self-styled religious preacher Amritpal Singh, the chief of the 'Waris Punjab De', clashed with the police in Punjab’s Amitsar and his ‘one-hour or face consequence’ ultimatum that followed, the Punjab police on Thursday said it would release his Singh's close aide Lovepreet Toofan on Friday.
The police added that it would form a Special Investigation Team (SIT), which would investigate the FIR registered in the case.
In a statement, Commissioner of Police Amritsar said, "They have given enough proof that he (detained Lovepreet Toofan) is innocent. SIT has taken cognizance of it. These people will peacefully disperse now and the law will take its own course."
Agitation to end only when Toofan Singh steps out
However, Amritpal Singh and his supporters have said they would end their agitation once Toofan steps out of jail.
Soon after the announcement the police managed to clear off the protest from the Ajnala police station premises. As per reports, protesters were sent to a nearby gurudwara.
Earlier in the day, a sea of people, some of them holding swords and guns in their hands, were seen breaking through police barricades erected outside Ajnala Police Station to protest against the arrest of Lovepreet Toofan.
The case
Amritpal Singh, a self-styled preacher, and his supporters were booked for allegedly kidnapping and thrashing Varinder Singh, a resident of Chamkaur Sahib in Rupnagar district. Singh is the head of 'Waris Punjab De' organisation founded by actor and activist Deep Sidhu who died in a road accident in February last year.
(To receive our E-paper on WhatsApp daily, please click here. To receive it on Telegram, please click here. We permit sharing of the paper's PDF on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.)
