Amritsar, February 22

After the announcement made by Khalistani sympathiser Amritpal Singh’s mother to stage a dharna on the Beas bridge on the Amritsar-Jalandhar National Highway, a heavy police force was deployed on the spot to maintain the law and order situation there.

Later, the protest site was shifted to Heritage Street where Balwinder Kaur, mother of Amritpal Singh along with kin of other detainees lodged in Dibrugarh jail in Assam, under the National Security Act sat on a hunger strike.

They were demanding to shift them to Punjab jail after one year of long imprisonment under stringent laws of the NSA.

A senior police official said the cops were deployed as a precautionary measure as the Amritpal’s family had announced to stage a dharna on the main highway at the crucial Beas bridge.

“The cops were deputed as a precautionary measure to thwart any law and order situation problem that could arise due to the protest,” said Amritsar Rural Police SSP Satinder Singh.

Amritpal’s family members had earlier given an ultimatum to the district administration to respond to their demand for shifting him and other detainees to Punjab jail. They were arrested in April last year for allegedly storming into the Ajnala police station to get a kidnapping suspect released. Around six cops, including a Superintendent of Police, was injured in the incident in February last year.