CHANDIGARH: Forty people, including two activists of the All India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) and four security personnel, were killed in the strife torn northern Indian state of Punjab this week.

At least 22 persons were injured, some of them seriously, in two bomb blasts that rocked the walled city area of Amritsar. The others falling to the bullets included five militants as a result of inter gang rivalry and two intruders from Pakistan.

The AISSF activists, Mewa Singh and Harjinder Singh were shot dead allegedly by their accomplices in between Manna Talwandi and Bholath villages of Kapurthala district.

Four militants were shot dead in village Dhirke under Batala Sadar police station. Three of them were identified as Ram Singh, Jagbir Singh and Kala Singh, police said.

In a similar incident a militant was shot dead by his accomplices in Malonwala village in Majitha district.

Two powerful bomb blasts that rocked the walled city of Amritsar here on Monday evening left 22 injured some of them seriously.

Preliminary reports said that while one explosion took place in Katra Baghian locality near the city Kotwali, the other took place near Khajana gate. The blasts occurred almost simultaneously.

Militants fired at a CRPF patrolling party near Darapur, in Faridkot district wounding two head constables and a civilian driver. The two head constables later succumbed to their injuries.

Gunmen fired at and wounded a Punjab police head constable, Sham Lal and his wife outside the Rajpura police station in Patiala district. Sham Lal later succumbed to his injuries.

Article extracted from this publication >> May 4, 1990