Why Amritpal Singh’s aides are lodged thousands of kms away from Punjab in Assam’s Dibrugarh jail

For close to two centuries, Assam’s Dibrugarh has been known to host oil wells and several tea gardens. The hustle and bustle of the district’s industrial legacy is tempered with the quiet of the sprawling tea gardens, turning it into an ideal place for human habitation where industry and nature ensure both livelihood and peace.

Both oil wells and tea gardens, which characterise Dibrugarh, are part of its British legacy. But the Dibrugarh recently found itself in news headlines all the way from Punjab, to Delhi, to Assam for another British legacy – the Dibrugarh Central Jail.

On March 19, the hereto low-profile jail opened its gates to lock in four close associates of on-the-run Khalistani separatist Amritpal Singh Sandhu, brought in from Punjab. On March 21, with three more of Amritpal’s associates brought in, the Dibrugarh Central Jail stood to host seven of Amritpal’s aides. And on March 27, the number rose to eight as another aide joined the ranks of inmates at the Dibrugarh Central Jail.

In response to the incarceration of the pro-Khalistani men, US-based separatist Sikh organisation, Sikh for Justice (SFJ), has issued a threat to Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

SFJ dispatched an audio message, on behalf of Gurpatwan Singh Pannu, to several media outlets in Assam threatening Sarma over the incarceration of Amritpal’s aides.

Assam Director General of Police GP Singh on April 2 informed that central agencies in the country have been alerted by the Assam Police about the threat to Sarma.

“Central agencies have been kept in the loop on the issue,” Singh stated.

The Assam DGP added: “In view of global events, the threat is being taken very seriously by Assam Police.”

The development is being taken seriously because Amritpal leads a faction of Waris Punjab De, a radical outfit formed by late Punjabi actor-turned-lawyer Deep Sidhu. In his public engagements in the past, Amritpal has been openly demanding Khalistan, a separate Sikh state.

Amritpal leads a faction Waris Punjab De, a radical outfit formed by late Punjabi actor-turned-lawyer Deep Sidhu. In his public engagements in the past, Amritpal has been openly demanding Khalistan, a separate Sikh state.

The development has baffled many. Why would authorities shift these high-profile prisoners over 2,707 kilometres away from Punjab to Assam?

What triggered the shift

On February 23, accompanied by hundreds of supporters, Amritpal stormed the Ajnala police station in Amritsar, demanding the release of one of his associates in a case of kidnapping and assault registered against Amritpal and 25 others.

Addressing a press conference, a day earlier, Amritpal had warned the Punjab government that he and his supporters would court arrest at the Ajnala police station if the FIR against them was not revoked within the next 24 hours. Following Amritpal’s call to action, additional force was deployed in the area with more than 400 policemen stationed around the Ajnala police station which was surrounded by police barricades on all sides.

Carrying the Guru Granth Sahib in a vehicle, Amritpal’s supporters reached the Ajnala police station the next morning. They mob then breached the police cordon and surrounded the police station. Flanked by supporters carrying automatic weapons, Amritpal was spotted pushing the special vehicle carrying the Guru Granth Sahib.

Armed with swords and lathis, Amritpal’s supporters clashed with the police in the afternoon before entering the police station. Amritpal then addressed his supporters from the police station, asking them to “stay put peacefully” till their demands are met.

“Once we are victorious we will all move to Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) to thank the Guru,” the radical leader told his supporters.

As the situation spiralled out of control, the Punjab Police agreed to release his associate.
A short while later, the Punjab Police launched a massive manhunt for Amritpal, who has since managed to give the cops a slip. But the police have arrested many of his associates.

Seven of these aides have been lodged in Dibrugarh Central Jail. Four of them — Daljit Singh Kalsi, Bhagwant Singh, Gurmeet Singh and Pradhanmantri Bajeka — were brought in on March 19.

The three brought in on March 21 included Kulwant Singh Dhaliwal, Gurinder Pal Singh and Harjeet Singh, Amritpal’s uncle. Harjeet Singh was brought to Dibrugarh by road from Guwahati with full escort. On March 27, Varindar Singh alias Fauji, a retired Army jawan, who was the reportedly the bodyguard of Amritpal, was shifted to Dibrugarh Jail.

Fauji was among the 10 gunmen who accompanied Amritpal all the time.
Safe landing in Dibrugarh

Dibrugarh deputy commissioner Biswajit Pegu recently informed that a multi-layer security cordon has been deployed at Dibrugarh Central Jail.

Talking to media persons, Pegu said that the security was beefed up at the Dibrugarh Central Jail right after four associates of Amritpal Singh shifted to Dibrugarh.

“We came to know that members of ‘Waris Punjab De’ are being shifted to Dibrugarh Central Jail at the last moment. We have no information about this development because it was an exercise undertaken by the Punjab Police and Assam Police in coordination. I can’t state the exact reason why they were brought in Dibrugarh jail,” Pegu said.

This is the second time in less than a year that Assam is in news for ‘hosting guests’ from other states. In June 2022, a group of 40 Maharashtra MLAs, led by dissident Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde, arrived in Guwahati and stayed at a luxury hotel in the city amid tight security.

The MLAs flew into Guwahati from Surat and were taken to the hotel in three buses of the Assam State Transport Corporation. After that a high-level meeting was organised in the luxury hotel amongst the dissident Shiv Sena MLAs and Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. The whole political atmosphere of Maharashtra changed shortly with Eknath Shinde taking over as Maharashtra chief minister.

“Assam has been in the news since the 40 dissident MLAs of Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde were flown to Guwahati from Surat. The whole plan was executed by top BJP leaders with the assistance of Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. The Assam BJP wanted to project that the state is one of the safest and secure states in India to execute such plans,” said Rupak Bhattacharjee, a political analyst, who worked as research associate under KPS Gill from 1999 to 2000.

“Assam has come again come under the limelight after the shifting of eight members of ‘Waris Punjab De’ in Assam’s Dibrugarh Central jail. I believed that the whole plan to shift the pro-Khalistani executed after a prolonged discussion and review meeting with Punjab Police and Assam Police,” Bhattacharjee said.

“The Aam Aadami Party has been in power in Punjab and the BJP has been in Assam but still both the members of pro-Khalistani group were brought to Assam because National Security Act (NSA) was invoked against the members,” he added.

“The whole process of shifting the Amritpal Singh’s associates was carried out by the governments and police of the two states together. After the vandalism at Anjala police station in Amritsar, a huge law and order crisis shook Punjab. And so Punjab and Assam governments arrived at this arrangement,” he added.

According to the 2011 Census, Dibrugarh town has a population of about 1.6 lakh people and only about 896 are Sikhs. The peace loving community is mostly into businesses such as making furniture, running restaurants and car repair workshops. This also makes the area relatively safer for lodging Amritpal’s men.

“The Sikh community is peaceful. The Sikhs in Dibrugarh are moderate and have nothing to do with these radicals. The community is very different from Punjab because they have been living here since long and are runnning businesses. They have imbibed the local culture and concerns,” said Ranjit Singh, a Sikh businessmen based in Dibrugarh.

Why in Dibrugarh Central Jail

The Dibrugarh Central jail was constructed in 1859-60 by then British government on 47 bighas of land (76,203.19 sq metres). The jail is one of the oldest jails in the North East.
“Dibrugarh Jail is one of the safest jails to lodge the pro-Khalistani members because it is located in the eastern most part of India, far away from Punjab. Dibrugarh is also well connected with airport and railways. Waris Punjab De supporters cannot be mobilised so easily from Punjab and other parts because Dibrugarh is far away from them. After Anjala violence, it will not be safe to keep them in Punjab jail,” said Rajiv Dutta, a senior journalist.

Dibrugarh jail is well fortified. CCTV cameras, along with a heavy security, keep up the vigil. The elite Black Panther commandos of Assam Police maintain internal security, the inner security is handled by the CRPF, Assam police and prison guards.

“This jail was built during the British rule. Even though the official year of establishment of this jail has been mentioned as 1859-60 in the records of the jail administration, the British administration first set up a court in place of the central jail in 1843 for a trial of Beesa Gaum and a few of his associates in 1843. The British administration had made a criminal procedure court at this site and after conviction, the criminals were brought here. After the arrest of Singpho, David Scott, who was the Deputy Commissioner of Upper Assam in the British Government at that time, converted the place into a court, which was Ward No. 1 of the present Dibrugarh Central Jail,” said advocate Satyabrata Sarma, general secretary of Dibrugarh Bar.

“Earlier no criminals or terrorists were brought to Dibrugarh Central Jail from other states. It is the first instance in which criminals booked under National Security Act have been brought to the jail,” Sarma said.

During Operation Bajrang, launched against the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) in early 1990s, many high-profile leaders of the proscribed group were kept in Dibrugarh Central Jail.

Five ULFA leaders managed to flee the Central Jail. While some say the inmates fled by jumping the prison walls, there is no clarity on the exact sequence of events but there are reports suggesting complicity of prison officials. The wall jumping theory gained traction after the height of the prison’s walls was raised immediately after the jail break.
Currently, there is only one main kitchen for all the prisoners in the jail and it is being renovated to make it bigger.

According to February figures, against a registered capacity of 680 prisoners there are only 445 inmates lodged in Dibrugarh Central Jail. Out of these, 430 are male prisoners and 15 are female prisoners. The inmates include two foreign nationals as well. The jail has 94 toilets in all and provision for clean drinking water.

There is a well-staffed hospital inside the jail with a doctor, nurse, lab technician and pharmacist. There is also a school on the jail premises.

Professor Deepali Baruah, a well-known author, in her book Urban History of India: A case Study published in 1994, wrote, “In 1840, the British government sanctioned Rs 2,700 for the construction of the Dibrugarh Jail building. In order to reduce the cost of construction of, prisoners were deployed to build it. During that time the jail was surrounded by an enclosure which also had a hospital.”

“When the British officers came to Mill Assam in 1853, they proposed to construct a concrete building of Dibrugarh Jail, seeing the dilapidated condition of the structure. There were 50 prisoners in the jail then and some of them were engaged in building roads and bridges and as potters and blacksmiths. In 1857-58, the daily average number of prisoners in the jail was 45.”

Even as Dibrugarh Jail authorities are exercising caution and keeping the security and vigil tight, the Punjab Police are looking hard for Amritpal.