CHANDIGARH: Over the week ending June 26, 42 people including a veteran Congress leader and 5 policemen were killed in the northern Indian Punjab state.

Union home minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed came to Amritsar and reviewed the law and order situation particularly in the border district of Amritsar and Ferozepur.

The prime minister also went around some of the villages situated on the Indo Pak border.

Narain Singh Shahbaz Puri (82), the former Congress I member of legislative assembly (MLA) was dragged out of his house in his village Shahbaz Pur in Amritsar district and shot dead.

Two top militant belonging to the Khalistan Commando Force KCF Gurdip singh alias Dipa and Gasha alias Dhola, were killed in a five hour encounter with security forces in a farm house in village Langiana in Faridkot district.

Both the men according to police were involved in 36 killings and 12 kidnappings in Faridkot and Ferozepur districts.

Later the security forces arrested Suk dip Kaur from the farm house with whom Dipa had forcibly married about two months back.

Two Ak47 Chinese assault rifles, one pistol and about 500 cartridges were recovered from the encounter scene. Meanwhile Lt Gen of the Bhindranwale Tigers Force of Khalistan, Sukhwinder Singh Sanga, escaped after being injured in a two hour encounter with security forces near village Gill Varech in Amritsar district.

However, one member of BTFK and a women were killed in the cross fire.

A police inspector was kidnapped from Patti bound state transport bus coming from Chandigarh near village Kirtowal in Amritsar district.

A powerful bomb explosion in a building at Purana Shalle near Gurdaspur left four people dead and nine injured late Wednesday.

The dead included a Congress I activist and two special police Officers.

In other incidents two banks were looted and two persons were kidnapped.

A patrol party was ambushed a security man belonging to para military central reserve police force (CRPF) was killed near Amargarh village in Ludhiana district.

Another personnel injured in the attack has been admitted to hospital.

Police said two men were shot dead by their accomplices in Dadupura village in Amritsar district. The two were accused by the assailants, in a note left at the site of the crime, of committing dacoities and extortions,

Bullet ridden body of a man was recovered from near Talwan village.

A report from Amritsar said an unidentified person in Manochahal village was hanged. The body also bore torture marks.

Another person, Dilbagh was shot dead in Ratoli village. Also attacked was a house of a former constable in Panjeri village in Gurdaspur district and shot his wife dead. The constable was injured in the shooting.

In another incident men entered the house of a person in Tunbala village in Amritsar district and killed his son.

One person was killed in a shootout in Ferozepur district.

Police recovered the bullet ridden body of Surjeet Singh from a canal near Rajiana village near Baghapurana. He had been missing since last Sunday.

Gunmen looted 367,000 rupees from a bank at Samadhbai in Faridkot district. In another bank robbery in the same district they took away 81,000 rupees.

Meanwhile security forces repulsed an attack on a special police officers picket in Naseerpura village, reports said.

A dusk to dawn curfew in 70. Villages on the Indo Pak border in Gurdaspur district has been extended till August 19.

Article extracted from this publication >> June 29, 1990