CHANDIGARH, India, Jan 30, Reuter: Some gunmen shot dead a leader of unified Akali Dal in Punjab on Monday after failing the previous night to blow up part of the state’s railway lines, Police said.
They said the militants gunned down Gian Singh, a leader of the unified Akali Dal (UAD), in Hoshiarpur district.
The killing was believed to have been caused by rivalry within a Sikh movement which demands greater autonomy for the prosperous northern agricultural state.
On Sunday police arrested three militants who were said to be a part of a six member group trying to blow up part of the railway line between the Sikh Holy City of Amritsar and Batala. Police is stated to have also seized arms and ammunition from the group.
About 170 people have died so far this year in killings by some unidentified persons in Punjab.
Article extracted from this publication >> February 3, 1989
