Waris Punjab De

What it is: Waris Punjab De, “Heirs of Punjab”, is a Punjabi Sikh organisation. Deep Sidhu announced it on 29 September 2021 as “a pressure group to protect and fight for rights of Punjab” (Wikipedia). Wikipedia says it later became pro-Khalistan, and Amritpal Singh openly supports a separate Sikh state. It is separate from the electoral party Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De), launched in 2025 and covered on its own page.

Who led it, in order: Deep Sidhu led it until his death in a road accident in February 2022. A Facebook post of 4 March 2022 named Amritpal Singh as his successor, and Sidhu’s family questioned that claim. Amritpal Singh was installed at a turban-tying ceremony at Rode village on 29 September 2022, after being baptised at Anandpur Sahib on 25 September. The two dates mark different things: the naming in March, the formal installation in September.

Key moments

• 23 February 2023, Ajnala: after police arrested an associate, Lovepreet Singh Toofan, in a kidnapping case, supporters broke through barricades and attacked the Ajnala police complex. A palki carrying the Guru Granth Sahib was with the crowd, and police said that stopped them from retaliating. Several police officers were injured, and the associate was later released on a court order.
• 18 March 2023: Punjab Police began a manhunt for Amritpal Singh. Internet services were restricted for nearly 30 million people and more than 200 people were arrested (Wikipedia).
• 23 April 2023: he was arrested at Rode village, Moga, after about 36 days on the run, held under the National Security Act and moved to Dibrugarh jail in Assam.
• 4 June 2024: held in jail, he won the Khadoor Sahib Lok Sabha seat as an independent. The Wire’s results report puts his margin at 1,78,022 votes; Wikipedia gives the final figure as 197,120.
• April 2026: his NSA detention was due to lapse on 22 April. Punjab Police then arrested him in the Ajnala case, and on the Tribune’s account of 8 October 2026 he remains in judicial custody in Dibrugarh on orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Where it stands: Police say the Ajnala crowd was armed. Indian agencies allege links with Pakistan’s ISI; the allegations are not established. Talks between the Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) and Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjit) about a joint front ended on 17 May 2026. On 25 August 2026 Amritpal’s father Tarsem Singh, the party’s acting president, said Amritpal would be the only family member to contest the 2027 Assembly elections, and on 9 October 2026 the party named a discussion and agenda committee chaired by Iqbal Singh Jhundan.