CHANDIGARH: Two senior officials in the Punjab government were among 25 persons killed in escalated violence in Punjab and Chandigarh overnight April 26. Over the week 134 people lost their lives.
Militants sprayed bullets at the car carrying Mr Rattan Lal Sharma private secretary to Punjab Governor O.P.Malhotra’s secretary and his relative Devinder Kaushish a senior official in the resident financial commissioners’ office Punjab Government in New Delhi.
Sharma died on the spot after being shot through the chest and the head while Kaushish who received bullets in his head died.
Sharma is survived by his wife a son and a daughter. Kaushish leaves behind his widow and a one-year-old girl.
The militants escaped despite the presence of a large number of security personnel in the Sector 22 residential area in the heart of Chandigarh where the incident took place.
The first police control room van reached the spot after about 20 minutes The Chandigarh Police ambulance arrived after about 45 minutes but by then sector residents had already taken Kaushish to hospital in their vehicle.
Bhai Arvinder Singh of the “Khalistan Liberation Force’ who carried a reward of Rs.500000 for his capture and was wanted in connection with a number of killings was arrested after an hour long encounter with security forces near Bheni village in Amritsar district. Seven other suspected militants were arrested in the state police said.
Police said here militant’s shot dead a village leader Mukhuai Singh and his son Pritam Singh in Dharamkot village in Majith district
Bachitter Singh was shot dead by militants in Kakapur village in Sangrur district police said here. In another incident in the district Chamkaur Singh was shot dead in Magwan.
A militant yet to be identified died after consuming cyanide during search operations by the security forces in Khabedogran village in Tarn Taran district Friday morning.
An unidentified militant was killed in a shoot-out in Sirhali village in the same district.
Police said militants raided the home of Jagdish Singh in Chatiwind village in Amritsar district and shot dead his son Gurbir Singh and daughter-in-law Two unidentified militants were killed by the security forces in shoot-outs in Ahmedpur village in Sangrur district and Sohal village in Gurdaspur district police said here.
Another unidentified militant was killed similarly in Sur Singh village in Tarn Taran district.
In another incident in the district Mohinder Singh was shot dead in Chauselwar village police said. Amarjit Kaur and Tasbir Singh were shot dead in Varpal and Khiala village in Majitha district respectively police said.
An Amritsar report said nine persons were killed in other incidents in the region overnight Thursday. A village elder and his son were gunned down in Dharamkot. Balbir Singh and his nephew Kuldip Singh were shot dead in Pheruman village.
Article extracted from this publication >> May 3, 1991
