Lok Sabha MP and jailed Sikh separatist Amritpal Singh’s brother Harpreet Singh was arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act in Jalandhar district in the early hours of Friday, reported The Indian Express.

The police arrested Harpreet Singh and two other men after seizing four grams of crystal methamphetamine, a recreational drug also known as ice, from them at a checkpoint in Phillaur, reported The Wire. The two men have been identified as Lovepreet Singh and Sandeep Arora.

Amritpal Singh, the chief of pro-Khalistan group Waris Punjab De, had started an anti-drug campaign, including opening a de-addiction centre in his village in Amritsar. The anti-drug campaign was believed to have contributed to his victory in the Lok Sabha election from the Khadoor Sahib seat.

The MP is presently in Assam’s Dibrugarh jail and has been booked under the National Security Act.

The parliamentarian’s father Tarsem Singh alleged that Harpreet Singh was arrested as part of an attempt to stop a march to seek the release of political prisoners who had completed their jail terms, The Wire reported.

“The Punjab government in an attempt to stop their march, implicated my son in a drug case,” Tarsem Singh said. “But to arrest those who have been stopping drugs and saving lives is nothing short of atrocious. Basically, the anti-Punjab forces are not happy with the rise of Amritpal and Sarabjit Singh Khalsa.”

The march was scheduled for July 12.

On April 23, 2023, the Punjab Police arrested Amritpal Singh from Moga after he had been on the run for over a month. The 29-year-old has been booked under the National Security Act.

The Punjab Police began cracking down on members of Waris Punjab De, days after Singh and his supporters stormed a police station in Amritsar on February 23, 2023. This came after one of Singh’s aides was arrested for alleged assault and attempted kidnapping.