Amritpal had cosmetic surgery done to resemble Bhindranwale, says report

Waris Punjab De's fugitive leader Amritpal Singh went to Georgia for cosmetic surgery to resemble Khalistani militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, the Indian Express reported. 

 

Amritpal Singh has been on the run since March 18. The police so far have arrested eight of his close aides, including his uncle Harjit Singh and Daljit Singh Kalsi, who has been sent to Dibrugarh.

 

According to the report, before Singh returned to India in August last year, he went to Georgia, where he underwent cosmetic surgery to look like Bhindranwale.

 

The reports said that Singh's close aides, now lodged in Dibrugarh Central Jail, had revealed that Singh spent two months in Georgia. However, the investigating authorities are yet to investigate this claim. 

 

The intelligence agencies are investigating Singh's sudden rise to become the leader of Waris Punjab De after Punjabi actor and activist Deep Sidhu's death. 

 

Punjabi actor-turned-activist Deep Sidhu, who was arrested over the farmers' protest at Red Fort on January 26, 2021, founded Waris Punjab De after he was granted bail. The stated objective of the outfit was to fight for the "rights of Punjab".

 

Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale was killed in Operation Blue Star by Army in Golden Temple. Amritpal projects himself as a Bhindranwale follower. Just like Bhindranwale, Amritpal too carries an arrow and moves with armed guards. 

 

However, unlike Bhindrawale, Singh has no orthodox religious background before taking over as the Wari Punjab de chief. 

 

Amritpal Singh came to the limelight when a huge mob of his supporters attacked a police station on the outskirts of Amritsar in February and extracted an assurance from police for the release of his key aid Lovepreet Singh.
 

"Waris Punjab De" literally means the "heirs of Punjab" and was started by lawyer turned actor Deep Sidhu on September 30, 2021, before the Punjab Assembly elections. Sidhu started the organisation as a pressure group to protect and fight for the rights of Punjab and raise social issues. 

Deep Sidhu came made headlines during a farmers' protest in 2020. Delhi Police later booked him for his alleged role in the violence on Republic Day in 2021 at Red Fort. 

Amritpal, a Dubai return, took over the organisation in September 2022.

However, Deep Sidhu's family has denied any links with saying they never appointed him as the chief of their son's organisation and had no idea how he took over as "Waris Punjab De" head.