NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police seized 2.8 kg of RDX and battery cells and wires from the West Delhi house of a suspected Punjab militant early on April 7.

According to the arrested man, Manoranjan Singh alias Lahiri of the Babbar Khalsa, his organization had planned to use the explosives to carry off Bombay like bomb blasts in the Capital. He said he had obtained the explosives from Punjab.

Manoranjan Singh, who was nabbed by the Special Branch, also admitted that his group now targeting H.K.L.Bhagat’s son, Deepak, and other politicians or officials said to be involved in the 1984 riots. Additional Sessions Judge Gupta, who recently pronounced the judgment in the Baba Nirankari murder case, was also on the hit list.

Manoranjan’s arrest has been rather timely because the militants had already inspected Deepak Bhagat’s house and were planning to blow it up soon.

According to Special Branch officials, information had been received that a few Babbar Khalsa men had sneaked into the Capital with the aim to attack VIPs and create panic in the city.

It may be recalled that after the series of blasts which ripped Bombay last month and the massive explosion which rocked Calcutta, New Delhi was feared to be the next target.

Acting on a tipoff, the police picked up Manoranjan from a flat in Vishnu Garden (West Delhi) early on Wednesday morning and recovered the RDX which had been kept in a plastic container.

Two other Umrao Singh and Harbajan Singh were held on Wednesday in the Northwest district.

While Manoranjan and Harbajan were remanded to police custody for a week, Umrao Singh was granted judicial remand in a Tis Hazari court by Duty Magistrate: N.K Kaushik.

 

Special Branch officials pointed out that this is not the first time that RDX, the explosive which played havoc in Bombay, had been planned for use in Delhi.

In five different blast cases in 1989, nine cases in 1990 and a single explosion in 1991, RDX was used, the police said. Efforts are on to catch Manoranjan’s companions and determine the source of the RDX supplies.

Article extracted from this publication >>  April 16, 1993