CHANDIGARH: Feb.15, a special police officer was killed and 20 others, including many Congress (I) supporters, were injured when a bomb exploded at the residence of a party candidate from Ludhiana (west) assembly constituency at Ludhiana in strife tom northern state of Punjab Saturday. The candidate, Hamam Dass Johar, was away on election campaign when the blast occurred in the compound of his residence. The killed SPO was identified as Shy am Sunder. The injured have been admitted to hospitals in Ludhiana. Elsewhere in the state 12 people, including two election campaigns three home guards and three militants, one of them an area commander of Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) were killed since Friday night,
Militants shot dead two persons who were campaigning for an independent candidate from Jalandhar (south) assembly constituency near Badshahpur village in Jalandhar district Saturday evening.
According to police, the militants stopped the auto rickshaw in which the victims, identified as Vijay Kumar and Sucha Singh, were traveling and shot them dead.
Militants gunned down to the Punjab home guards near Kharar under Sardar police station of Ropar district Friday night police aid, The killed Jawans were identified as Gulzar Singh, Gurdian Chand and Major Singh.
Bhai Mohinder Singh Mach hike, area commander of KLF was killed in an encounter with security forces on the night of February 1314 in Barnala police district of Sangrur district, police said Saturday. He was involved in over 50 killings including nine teachers who had been assigned poll duties.
Police said, two suspected militants, Devinder Singh and Khyber Singh, were killed in Dalla village in Ludhiana district.
Two major possible tragedies were averted with the timely detection of accrued time bomb in the crowded and the most active election campaigning part in Amritsar city and thwarting of a militant plan to plant bombs in the house of a Congress (I) candidate.
One person was killed and two others were injured when militants opened fire near the sub Tehsil at Dhuri in Sangrur district.
A shopkeeper was shot dead in village Tiur in Ropar district.
Two suspected militants were arrested in Ludhiana and two in Amritsar district. Some arms and ammunition were recovered from them,
Meanwhile a report from Amritsar said hundreds of passengers in the Bombay Amritsar express had a miraculous escape when a portion of them air railway blew up rack in Sunder nagger here with a powerful bomb blast, few minutes before the train was approaching.
Most coaches of the train passed over the damaged track on the Amritsar Jalandhar section of northern railway with violent jerk: without any derailment, damage or casualty, according 10 railway sources. The incident disrupted movement of many trains. Some important trains like the superfast from Delhi and flying mail were stopped on the way whereas the frontier mail and Atari special from Lahore were detained at the local station.
In another powerful blast in the city’s Braham but a market, close to the Golden Temple, glass panes of some buildings were shattered The explosion took place after the Closure of the shops and left big crafter at the spot, police said.
Article extracted from this publication >> February 28, 1992
