Amritpal Singh, the Sikh separatist leader who had been on the run for more than a month, was arrested after a massive operation that involved surrounding a village where he was hiding, the Punjab Police said on Sunday.
Singh, who had supported calls for the formation of Khalistan, a separate Sikh homeland, was wanted for several charges, including attempted murder, obstruction of law enforcement and creating disharmony.
He and his supporters, armed with swords, knives and guns, had raided a police station in March and clashed with policemen.
The police said they had received information that Singh was present in Rode village, near Moga district, and had deployed a large number of personnel to seal off all the routes to the village.
They said Singh was inside a gurdwara, and that they had maintained the dignity of the gurdwara while arresting him.
"Amritpal Singh has been arrested by Punjab Police around 6:45 am this morning in village Rode," said senior police officer Sukhchain Singh.
"We surrounded Amritpal with restraint, and he had no way to escape. We waited and did not enter the gurdwara to maintain its sanctity. We could not have entered in uniform," he said.
"Amritpal Singh has been sent to Dibrugarh under the National Security Act and will be questioned thoroughly," the police officer said.
The National Security Act allows the government to detain suspects without trial for up to a year if they are deemed a threat to national security.
The police thanked the people of Punjab for their cooperation, and said that no one would be allowed to trigger unrest in the state.
"We are committed to maintaining peace and law and order in Punjab. Anyone who tries to create trouble will be dealt with firmly," Sukhchain Singh said.
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