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April 23 (UPI) -- Police in India have arrested Amritpal Singh, a Sikh preacher who has called for the secession of the Punjab province to create an independent Sikh nation. His arrest was announced by Punjab Police in a statement on Twitter who urged citizens "to maintain peace and harmony."
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Amritpal had been on the run for 36 days but was finally nabbed as he left a Gurudwara Sahib, a Sikh place of worship, in the Rode village late Saturday, The Times of India reported.
In a video circulating on social media, Amritpal appears to say that he had decided to turn himself over to authorities. UPI has not been able to independently verify the footage.
The saga began when Amritpal was appointed as the chief of the Waris Punjab De movement in September after the death of its former leader, Deep Sidhu. The political group is one of many that seek the creation of a new state, Khalistan, in the Punjab region.
In February, a close associate of Amritpal was arrested after another man claimed he had been kidnapped and beaten by his followers, The Times of India reported. Hundreds of his supporters then stormed the police station with weapons and allegedly injured police personnel.
Police began cracking down on the Waris Punjab De in March, arresting dozens, which has been viewed as reminiscent of a separatist insurgency in the 1980s subsequent attempts to stifle the movement that led to the deaths of thousands of people.
According to the BBC, Amritpal has said that he draws inspiration from Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale -- the man who was accused by the Indian government of leading the armed uprising in the 1980s. Bhindranwale died in 1984 when police stormed Sikhism's holiest site, known as the Golden Temple.
The manhunt for Amritpal over the past weeks has led to instability in the region, with authorities instituting social media censorship and partial internet shutdowns during the search, the Washington Post reported.
Amritpal has also seen a growth in support world with protests occurring in the United States and Britain, leading newfound supporters to vandalize Indian embassies.
"Action will be taken against those who try to disrupt the country's peace and law," Baghwant Mann, the state's chief minister, said in a video statement. "We will not disturb any innocent person. We don't do vendetta politics."
