AMRITSAR: R.P. Singh Super intendant of Police (Detective) Kashmir Singh Sub-Inspector Hari Singh Assistant Sub-Inspector Punjab Police and five other policemen were killed while other five police personnel were seriously injured in a fierce en counter with militants in Karnam village under police station Hargobindpur in Batala police district on Monday.
According to information reached here a police party led by SRR Reddy Senior Superintendent of Police on receipt of information that some militants were hiding in the village raided the place. On seeing the police militants opened fire which the police returned. The encounter lasted more than four hours resulting in the killing of eight police personnel.
“The other killed policemen are Harpal Singh and Gurmej Singh (both Head Constables) Jasminder Singh Mohd Hussain and Kuldip Singh all constables.
The injured policemen who were rushed to the local Guru Nanak Dev Hospital here are Ajit Singh Assistant SubInspector Rachpal Singh Head Constable and Susjit Singh Sohan Singh and Sanjeev Kumar all Constables.
M.S Bhullar Inspector General of Police Border Range has rushed to the spot and is super vising the search of the area which has been cordoned off by the security forces. “The militants however managed to escape. During the search operation the security forces found a bullet riddled body of a militant from the spot. The search was still continuing.
Agencies add: The Panthic Committee member and deputy chief of outlawed Khalistan Commando Force (Zaffarwal) Sukhwinder Singh was killed in the encounter at Kamam village.
The encounter began around 10 am when police and BSF personnel were jointly searching the village which has at least 60 houses. The search was almost over when a police party found one wireless set and a revolver from the house of one old woman. On finding a room locked in the same house the security personnel asked the woman to open it. But she refused saying it belonged to her estranged son and she dared not open it.
The security personnel than tried to break open the door but the militant hiding in the room opened fire from a general purpose ma chine gun killing seven police personnel and wounded five others.
In the exchange of fire dreaded militant Sukhwinder Singh alias Pappu Gora deputy chief of the KCF (Zaffarwal) who was responsible for more than 200 killings was also killed. His other accomplices escaped.
A member of the Panthic Committee Sukhwinder Singh carried a reward of Rs. 10 lakh on his head.
A massive search operation has been launched.
Security forces gunned down two militants in an encounter near Kakal village in Bathinda district on Sunday night. Later one of them was identified as Joginder Singh resident of Manochahal village in Tam Taran police district. A double barrel 12 bore gun 2315 bore rifle and some rounds of ammunition were recovered from the slain militants.
One Swaran Singh was killed by two militants at Ghas Kaler village in Batata police district on Sunday night.
A tragedy was averted when a crude bomb wrapped in a “Khalistan flag” exploded at Kalanaur town in Batala police district on Sunday evening.
Station House Office (SHO) Harbans Singh of Derababa Nanak police station in the same police district was wounded when militants ambushed his vehicle near Bhangwan village on Sunday night.
He has been admitted to a hospital at Amritsar in a serious condition.
Two militants shot dead Harpal Singh the CPI nominee for the February 19 elections in Bhai Rupra village in Bathinda district on Sunday. He was yet to file his nomination papers.
He was a member of the state council of the party.
In an encounter security forces shot dead an unidentified militant near Bhai Ladhu Ke village in Tarn Taran police district.
An AK74rifleand 132canridges were recovered from the slain militant.
Three militants opened indiscriminate fie in the main bazar at Jagraon in Ludhiana district killing a book shop owner Raj Kumar and injuring one Jagdish Kumar
Article extracted from this publication >> February 7, 1992
