CHANDIGARH: Eighteen freedom fighters were among 26 persons killed in unabated violence and Rs.3 lakh were looted in Punjab during the past 24 hours.
Security forces gunned down four militants in two separate “encounters” at Chautala village another at Kaka Mandiala village in Tam Taran police district on Monday night. An AK-47 rifle and one 303 rifles were recovered from slain militants.
Black Cats shot dead one Balbir Singh and his son Banta Singh at Kairon village in the same police district on Monday night.
In an alleged encounter security forces shot dead three militants on the Mehta drain bridge in Majitha police district on Sunday night. They were identified as Baljit Singh alias Bita. Narinder Singh alias Ninda and Jagdish Singh. An AK-47 rifle, two mousers, a drum magazine and a large quantity of ammunition were recovered from them.
In a four-hour long encounter security forces shot dead two militants, identified as Bagicha Singh and Harpal Singh in Tam Taran police district on Monday. AnAK-47rifleandadouble barrel gun were recovered from the slain militants.
Sanjecv Kumar Pahwa, an industrialist and proprietor of the Ralson Cycles Pvt. Ltd. had a narrow escape on Monday, when a group of militants opened fire on his car when he was going to his factory on G.T.Road on the city outskirts in the afternoon.
(The bodyguard of Mr Pahwa, Mr Bhupinder Singh returned the fire on militants who were in a truck, The gunman was seriously injured in the exchange of fire, and has been admitied to CMC Hospital Pahwa meanwhile, managed to enter his factory safely in the car. The incident has spread panic among industrialists community here which witnessed several incidents of kidnappings and extortions till a few months ago).
Militants ambushed a patrol party in Patti police station area in Tarn Taran police district on Sunday night. In the return fire, two unidentified militants were killed.
Nine militants, including three ‘top’ ones belonging to the Babbar Khalsa and responsible for over 50 bomb blasts were among the 20 people killed Sunday.
Police failed to find any clue to the kidnapping of Mithan Lal, cousin of Pawan Kumar Bansal, the Congress-I M.P. from Chandigarh.
The three militants of the Babbar Khalsa outfit were killed in an encounter with the police in a village of Majitha police district Sunday.
Two of them, arrested earlier Sunday, were being taken for recovery of arms and ammunition when the police escort party was ambushed by a group of militants, police said.
In the ensuing encounter, the two accused were killed and the bullet-ridden body of another listed Babbar militant was found on the spot. He was one of the 40 accused arrested from the Golden Temple in Amritsar during the “Operation Black Thunder in 1988. He was operating in Amritsar and Gurdaspur districts after his release two years ago, police added.
Security personnel gunned down two militants during search operations in TArn TAran police district Monday. They were identified as members of the Khalistan Liberation Force.
Article extracted from this publication >> July 19, 1991
