Amritpal Singh

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. 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). 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.