J&K joins Punjab Police in Amritpal Singh manhunt; assures full support to track radical preacher [details]

Amid a hunt launched by the Punjab Police for the pro-Khalistan preacher Amritpal Singh, Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Dilbag Singh assured all possible to the neighboring state to contain activities of anti-national elements.

"Wherever Punjab Police needs us, the Jammu and Kashmir Police will extend all help to them. Some cases have come to the fore where some weapons were issued from here to the people there. We have taken cognizance of such cases. A couple of cases have been registered and we will help the Punjab Police wherever they need," the DGP said.

The DGP of J&K Police was speaking to reporters after the closing ceremony of the 71st B N Mullik Memorial All India Police Football Championship at the Bakshi stadium in Srinagar. He said that some supporters of Amritpal Singh have procured some gun licenses from Jammu and Kashmir.

"We are in touch with Punjab Police", he said.

The Punjab Police on Saturday launched a major crackdown against Amritpal Singh and members of his outfit 'Waris Punjab De'. The preacher, however, gave police the slip and escaped their dragnet when his cavalcade was intercepted in the Jalandhar district.

Earlier Kishtwar administration revokes the gun license of Amritpal Singh's close aides

Earlier District Magistrate of Kishtwar revoked gun licenses issued to the close aides of "Waris Punjab De" head Amritpal Singh.

Deputy Commissioner Kishtwar Dr. Devansh Yadav revoked the arms license of one Varinder Singh after Punjab Police shared inputs with the District Administrations in Samba and Kishtwar regarding the issuance of two gun licenses from the two districts to as many individuals, Varinder Singh and Talwainder Singh of Tarn Taran, Punjab, in 2013.

"The 12-bore license of Varinder Singh has been cancelled and very soon he will be booked under the Arms Act," DC Kishtwar, Dr. Devansh Yadav said.

The DCs in Kishtwar and Samba Districts said that no fresh license has been issued to any individual after 2017. They however said that arms licenses have been renewed after proper verification of the individuals possessing the licenses.

Usually, an arms license is renewed after a period of five years, but according to police sources, Varinder Singh and Talwainder Singh, who had got the arms licenses through third parties in Jammu and Kashmir, have not got their licenses renewed since 2017.

The issuance of arms licenses to Varinder Singh, Talwainder Singh, and several other aides of Amritpal Singh in Punjab became a controversy after the "Waris Punjab De" head along with his supporters earlier entered a police station in Amritsar, Punjab, and brandished weapons while demanding that an FIR registered against them was revoked.

"We had last week received a communiqué from the Punjab Police to take action, following which the arms license of Varinder Singh, who served at 19 Sikh Regiment, was cancelled", Dr. Yadav said.

He said the arms license was issued to him by the deputy magistrate when Varinder was posted in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar.