Amritpal Singh manhunt: BBC's Punjabi Twitter handle blocked in India

Amid the manhunt for Khalistani separatist and 'Punjab Waris De' chief Amritpal Singh, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) News' Punjabi language Twitter account has been blocked and it is not accessible for Indian users. 

The message shown on the Twitter handle read: “The account has been taken down in response to a legal demand”. However, there are no specific details mentioned about the legal demand.

A report by India Today stated that Twitter accounts of Punjab-based journalists and other important members were withheld in India as police continue to conduct search operations for Amritpal Singh and his aides.

The Punjab Police had launched a crackdown against Singh, his aides and his outfit, the Waris Punjab De on March 18. However, despite a long manhunt, Amritpal Singh managed to give the police a slip. Since then, the Khalistani leader has been on the run.

Meanwhile, Nepal has put the fugitive preacher on its surveillance list after India requested the neighbouring country not to allow him to flee to a third country and arrest him if he attempts to escape using an Indian passport or any other fake passport.

Amritpal Singh has been evading the police but he has been caught on CCTVs multiple times. A new CCTV footage recently showed him wearing jacket and trousers and speaking on a mobile phone. He was also spotted in Haryana’s Shahabad, wearing a shirt and trouser while holding an umbrella in an apparent bid to hide himself from CCTV cameras.

Things got ugly for Singh and his supporters after they broke into the Ajnala police station demanding the release of his aide Lovepreet Singh Toofan in February. Singh had also threatened Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Singh said that Shah might meet the same fate as the former Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi.

Also Read: Watch: New CCTV footage shows Amritpal Singh wearing a jacket and walking in Patiala