Amritpal Singh Sandhu (born 17 January 1993) is an Indian politician, Sikh preacher and pro-Khalistan separatist. He is a Member of the Indian Parliament in the Lok Sabha representing the constituency of Khadoor Sahib since 2024. He is currently serving as leader of Indian political party Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) since 14 January 2025 and Sikh organisation Waris Punjab De since 29 September 2022.
After living in Dubai for a decade, he returned to Punjab in September 2022, appointed as the leader of Waris Punjab De; he started an anti-drugs campaign, encouraging the youth to adopt a traditionalist form of Sikhism and advocated for a sovereign Sikh state in Punjab called Khalistan.Manraj Grewal Sharma, Behind Amritpal rise, deepening political vacuum, widening governance gaps, growing discontent , Indian Express, 5 March 2023.
Indian intelligence sources claim that Singh has been supported by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), and that he has stockpiled arms while raising a private militia called Anandpur Khalsa Fauj (AKF).Deeptiman Tiwary, Mahender Singh Manral, Ahead of crackdown, the worry for Centre: Amritpal's campaign, his private army , Indian Express, 20 March 2023. In March 2023, the state government, acting in coordination with the central government, launched an intense crackdown on Singh and his associates. He was arrested on 23 April 2023 under the National Security Act (India). The NSA detention was lifted on 22 April 2026.
Early life Amritpal Singh Sandhu was born on 17 January 1993, in Jallupur Khera, a village in the Baba Bakala tehsil of Amritsar district of Punjab, India. He was the youngest of the three children of Tarsem Singh and Balwinder Kaur. His family is said to be very religious. His uncle Harjit Singh Sandhu was the sarpanch (head of village) for 10 years before moving to the United Kingdom.Manraj Grewal Sharma, In Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh's Punjab village, mother says doing 'amrit sanchar' but sense of disquiet over cause , Indian Express, 27 February 2023.
After passing the 10th class, Amritpal enrolled in a diploma course in mechanical engineering at Lord Krishna Polytechnic College in Kapurthala in 2009. He dropped out after three years, never having completed the course.Deepkamal Kaur, 'Waris Punjab De' chief Amritpal Singh a polytechnic dropout , The Tribune (India), 25 February 2023.
In 2012, he moved to Dubai in UAE to join his family's transport business.Zoya Mateen, Arvind Chhabra, Amritpal Singh: The self-styled preacher raising fears in India's Punjab , BBC News, 28 February 2023. His LinkedIn profile claimed that he has a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Punjab. His profile further claimed that he was the "Operations Manager" at a company called Sandhu Cargo Transport and that he had experience in transportation, trucking and railroad industry.Deeptiman Tiwary, Mahenda Singh Manral, Amritpal Singh on security radar, Central agencies prepare a dossier , Indian Express, 25 February 2023. According to The Indian Express, he worked as a dispatcher for about ten years.Amritpal Singh's associates detained: Who is this radical Sikh 'preacher', what does he do , Indian Express, 19 March 2023. Some sources state that he was a truck driver. However, many details of his time in Dubai for the rest of the decade remain unknown.
Amritpal often spoke about issues concerning Punjab on social media. In 2019, he started supporting the farmers' protest and also became a vocal supporter of Deep Sidhu. His social media reach multiplied after he got associated with Sidhu. He travelled to India to support the protest. At that time, he was a Sahajdhari. After the farm laws were withdrawn, he returned to Dubai.
Waris Punjab De During the farmers' protest, the actor-turned-activist Deep Sidhu attempted to broaden the agenda of the agitation into fighting for the "rights of Punjab". Amritpal is said to have been a vocal supporter of Sidhu and his role in the agitation.Amritpal Singh's 'predecessor', who was Waris Punjab De founder Deep Sidhu? , Indian Express, 24 February 2023. Sidhu is alleged to have led a group of farmers to storm the Red Fort in Delhi on the Republic Day of 2021. He was arrested for the action and spent a few months in prison. After getting released on bail, he founded the Waris Punjab De ("Heirs of Punjab") organisation to fight for what he termed the rights of Punjab.
Amritpal also became a part of Waris Punjab De, remotely from Dubai.Divya Goyal, Waris Punjab De: What is the mission of this outfit, floated by Deep Sidhu and now led by Amritpal Singh? , Indian Express, 25 February 2023. Others have said that Sidhu did not appreciate the "Khalistani" slant of Amritpal and blocked him from the audio discussion forum during the farmers' protests. Sidhu is also said to have blocked Amritpal's phone from his personal contacts in February 2022.Jupinderjit Singh, The rise and fall of Amritpal Singh , The Tribune (India), 20 March 2023.
In Dubai, Amritpal Singh is claimed by Indian authorities to have come in contact with Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), which has supported the Khalistan movement in the past.PTI, Amritpal Singh maintaining close links with ISI, terror groups: Sources , Business Standard, 18 March 2023.PTI, Pak's spy agency ISI behind pushing Amritpal Singh back to India , The Telegraph (Kolkata), 19 March 2023. He was in touch with Jaswant Singh Rode, a nephew of Bhindranwale and brother of Lakhbir Singh Rode who runs the International Sikh Youth Federation from Lahore, and a Babbar Khalsa militant called Paramjit Singh Pamma. Through them, he is said to have gotten in touch with Avtar Singh Khanda, a UK-based Sikh activist belonging to Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), whose father is a member of the Khalistan Liberation Force. According to Indian intelligence, Khanda then groomed Amritpal Singh to be a Khalistan activist, including sending him to Georgia for training.Varinder Bhatia, Avtar Singh Khanda, who targeted Indian mission in UK, 'groomed' Amritpal , Indian Express, 22 March 2023.
Succession to Deep Sidhu After the sudden death of Deep Sidhu in February 2022, a letter appeared on a Facebook account of Waris Punjab De on 4 March 2022 appointing Amritpal as the organisation's leader. The appointment remains controversial. According to some sources, Sidhu had appointed Harnek Singh Uppal as the head of the organisation even while he was alive. So Sidhu's death did not make a difference to the organisation. A break-away faction of the organisation apparently chose Amritpal as its leader using a "hacked" Facebook account, while the original organisation has continued under Uppal (now called the "Deep Sidhu faction").Unaware how Amritpal Singh declared himself head of 'Waris Punjab De', says Deep Sidhu's kin , Financial Express, 24 February 2023. Sidhu's family disowned Amritpal and called for an investigation into his antecedents.
Amritpal returned to Punjab in August 2022 with a flowing beard and turban. He gave up his role in the family's business and also his permanent resident status in Canada. In September, he got baptised at Anandpur Sahib in front of a larger gathering. A week later, a dastarbandi (turban tying ceremony) was held for him in the Rode village in Moga district, the native place of former militant leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. By this time, Amritpal Singh was already being treated as a big leader. He was lodged in the house of the sarpanch (head of village) and a long line of people came to see him. His dastarbandi served as his inauguration as the head of Waris Punjab De, amid slogans of "Khalistan Zindabad".
In his inauguration speech, Amritpal said that the Sikhs had been slaves for 150 years, first to the British and later to the "Hindus". The only way to be totally free is to have "Sikh rule". Passing 15 resolutions including one saying that nobody could "interfere" with Sikh affairs, he declared a "fight for freedom". "Our waters are being looted", "our Guru is being desecrated", "factories encroached into our land", "our groundwater has depleted", "our turbans are being disrespected", and "the head of our nation calls us keshdhari (long-haired) Hindus". These were all alleged to be signs of slavery.
Campaigning and Prachaar Soon after his initiation, Amritpal Singh started a campaign to motivate youth to shun drugs and irreligious (patit) lifestyle, calling them to the gurdwaras to receive baptism (amrit-sanchaar). His efforts received praise from religious authorities. An official of the Akal Takht said that, whereas normally they would receive around 200 youth for baptism on a Sunday, Amritpal's efforts resulted in over 1,000 people coming. Amritpal has visited the outlying regions of Sikhism such as Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan and places in Haryana, and he is also said to have attracted people from far away places such as Delhi, Maharashtra and Jammu.
Later in November, he started a Khalsa Vaheer tour (religious procession to spread the Sikh belief) through the state of Punjab, to motivate youth to take up Khalsa (pure Sikh order). He marched from Amritsar to Anandpur Sahib over the period of a month. He was accompanied by supporters carrying automatic guns and bullets. During the events, he is reported to have preached radical views, glorifying weapons and violence. By the end of December, he had baptised more than 3000 youth, with the alleged motive of inducting them into Khalistan activism.
Drug rehabilitation Amritpal opened up a drug rehab facility and many, such as local journalists Amandeep Sandhu and Sandeep Singh (the latter having interviewed Amritpal in Dubai), attribute his wide popularity to his willingness to tackle social issues head-on, such as the drug problem, when previous governments have failed to solve these issues. Drug addiction and abuse are serious issues in Punjab, a study by the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in 2022 revealed around 15.4% of the state's population of 30 million were narcotic users.
Indian security agencies have stated that, although he presented himself as an anti-drug activist, he was in contact with people in Dubai and London who were involved in smuggling drugs into Punjab. He was suspected of using his drug de-addiction centers to set up hideouts and storehouses for weapons being smuggled from Pakistan using drones.
An investigative report by India Today found that the "drug rehabilitation" centers indulged in several irregularities, including administering random pills to inmates and beating those who attempted to leave the center. Police footage showed a number of illegal firearms being seized from the center. The police accused him of using the centers to rope in drug addicts into his private militia, the Anand Khalsa Fauj.
Incongruously, his brother was arrested in 2024 in a drug case in Phillaur town for carrying methamphetamine, and a dope test confirmed positive results.
Early controversies In October 2022, in one of his speeches, Amritpal said, "Jesus who could not save himself, how he will save everyone else?" which was termed hate speech by members of the Christian community. The Christian community staged a four hours-long protest against Amritpal at PAP Chowk for his remarks about Jesus Christ. The protesters demanded that an FIR should be lodged against him under 295A of the IPC (Indian Penal Code) for "hurting religious sentiments and attempting to aggravate communal divisions".