LUCKNOW: In a sudden spurt of violence: in the Terai Punjab militants gunned down 16 people including a police inspector at three places during the past 24 hours.
Militants stopped a state transport bus near Hardwar asked the women and children a to get off and fired indiscriminately killing 13 people and injuring 25
The station house officer (SHO) of the Puran pur police station in Pilibhit district Jheindra Pal Singh Yadav was killed in an encounter with militants. A constable accompanying him was wounded “The policemen were combing the forests when militants fired attempt. The police returned the fire the encounter was in progress.
According to the police another militant group gunned down; widow Manjit Kaur and he relative Bijendra Singh a Mithopar village in Bijnore dis tie
The militants took the two about furlong away from the village before killing them
In the bus killings militants in light truck overtook the bus going from Aligarh to Hardwar near Patcharhi village which comes after Roorkee They signaled the bus driver to stop and when he did not used the truck to block the road.
A militant carrying a revolver got on and ordered women and children to disembark. Then two more militants with AK-47 rifles entered and began firing indiscriminately killing nine persons on the spot and injuring about 30 Four persons died in the hospital later
This is the first time that bus: passengers have been attacked in the area though militants had fired indiscriminately at crowds in Pilibhit three months ago
Punjab militants have killed 22 Persons in the state during the past three days they had gunned down ix persons including three of family in the Rudrapur area of Naini Tal district
Ironically the militants stepped up their activities soon after the DGP Prakash Singh claimed at a Press conference recently that the Police had “effectively countered” the menace and had the militants on the run
Article extracted from this publication >> May 8, 1996
