National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday raided the houses of jailed Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh’s relatives in Amritsar and Batala villages as part of an investigation into the protests held outside the High Commission of India in Ottawa, Canada, by Khalistan supporters in 2023 and foreign funding associated with ‘Waris Punjab De’, an outfit headed by Amritpal.
A post uploaded on Amritpal’s X account said, “Since morning, NIA has been conducting raids on the homes of his family and relatives. Family members and relatives, particularly elderly women, are being harassed and troubled.”
Among those raided were Amritpal’s uncle Pargat Singh Sandhu, known as “Furniture Wale”, in Rayya at 5 am. Another raid was carried out at the home of one of Amritpal Singh’s brothers-in-law and a relative. Sources said that Amritpal’s aunt was initially taken to Beas police station for questioning but was later allowed to leave with instructions to report to Chandigarh for further questioning on Sept 26.
A member of Team Amritpal alleged that the raids were conducted following a successful gathering held by them at Baba Bakala during the traditional Rakhar Punia event on Aug 19. “We wonder why both the central and state govts are targeting us while those involved in heinous crimes such as extortions are not being even touched,” he alleged.
