CHANDIGARH: Fourteen persons including four suspected militants were killed in Punjab March 2. Over the week 116 people lost their lives.

Four unidentified armed persons went on a shooting spree killing six persons in two different incidents in Ferozepur district police said.

Police said the armed persons went to the house of Manohar Lal in Jhagian Anand Singh under Jalalabad police station in Ferozepur district and shot dead two persons.

Later went to a farm house of Dayal Singh and shot him and three others dead. The other deceased were identified as Gurbax Singh Sukhdev Singh and his wife Nihal Kaur. The four were allegedly killed as a result of inter gang rivalry police claimed.

Police said two salesman of a liquor vend identified as Shiv Shankar and Partap Singh were shot dead in village Chack Raj Singh Wala of Bhatinda district..

In another incident three unidentified persons allegedly fired at a police patrolling party between villages Hakam Singhwala and Gamiwala. The cops fired back killing one militant. However two others managed to escape.

Police said that in yet another encounter in the district one suspected militant was killed near village Lehra Muhabat while another managed to escape.

Another militant was killed in an encounter with security forces in village Buraj in Bhatinda district. Police said that a patrolling party signaled two persons to stop near village Chawati. But they started firing which was returned by the police. In the incident one militant was killed. However the other militant managed to escape leaving behind one pistol.

The Jhabal police recovered the body of one Tarlochan Singh in Thathgarh village in Tam Taran district.

A report from Amritsar said one Mukhtiar Singh was hanged to death allegedly by militants in village Nurpur in Amritsar district. Seventeen persons including four militants and a constable were killed Feb 28.

Twelve persons including six militants were killed Feb 27.

Security forces also nabbed 22 militants with arms and ammunition during this period.

The dead included a Bharatiya Janata Party leader and his driver who were killed in a bomb blast in Hoshiarpur. Sixteen persons were injured in the bomb blast.

Article extracted from this publication >> March 8, 1991