People want Amritpal Singh released from jail, says father

Jailed Waris Punjab De activist Amritpal Singh's father Tarsem Singh on Friday said that people want his son to be permanently released from prison. Amritpal who got elected as an MP in the recently concluded Lok Sabha election 2024, is being brought to Delhi for his swearing-in as an MP, an official said on Friday, reported news agency PTI.

"I had met him (Amritpal Singh) on June 8 after he won the (Lok Sabha) election. People love him. They want him to be released from jail so that he gets an opportunity to fulfil the responsibilities he has been elected for," Tarsem Singh told news agency PTI.

The controversial activist has been lodged in the Dibrugarh Central Jail since April last year under the National Security Act. Ten members of his outfit, including Amritpal and one of his uncles, were arrested from different parts of Punjab following a crackdown.

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Amritpal is currently on four-day parole for his swearing-in ceremony as an MP. He had been elected as an MP from Punjab's Khadoor Sahib constituency by 1.97 lakh votes as an Independent candidate by defeating Congress's Kulbir Singh Zira.

As per the parole order, Amritpal or his relatives are prohibited from making any public statements during his stay in New Delhi. During his visit for the oath-taking ceremony, Amritpal will be allowed to meet his family but will not be permitted to leave the "territorial jurisdiction" of New Delhi. The controversial activist has also been instructed not to engage in any activities that might compromise national security.

The parole order, which mentions 10 conditions, stated that the period of temporary release will include the time taken for the journey from the central jail in Dibrugarh to New Delhi and back.

He will "not enter the territorial jurisdiction of any place other than New Delhi during the period of temporary release", it stated.

"Amritpal Singh or any of his relatives shall not be permitted to videograph any statement of Amritpal and/or circulate any such statement in any electronic form," according to the order.

Earlier, in June, Amritpal's parents, Tarsem Singh and Balwinder Kaur, and his wife Kirandeep Kaur, had met the jailed activist.