MATHERI SHEKHWWAN, AMBALA: The Haryana police had identified the Babbar Khalsa responsible for the killing of a police constable and recovered about 30kg more RDX from A Village pond here.

Incidentally, the group identified is that of Jagtar Singh Hawara, which was earlier responsible for the assassination of Beant Singh on August31.

According to the police, the group now had plans to kill the Chief Minister Bhajan Lal and other VVIPs.

The police parties combing the area got a clue that three gunny bags were concealed in the village pond, by some “unidentified youths. It was later confirmed to be RDX by the experts from the Forensic Laboratory Madhuban. The explosive was mixed with carbon and was in the form of small bricks of 280 grams. The motorcycle on which the group escaped was found abandoned in Bhanu Kherri village, near here. More recoveries of the explosive are also on the anvil, according to police sources. Investigations by the police have revealed that Purshotam Singh, 25, of this village, who was running the business of cloth merchant and belonged to the Akhand Kirtani Jatha, was recruited by the Babbars into their fold for carrying out the assassination of the Haryana Chief Minister Bhajan Lal.

Questioning of the members of the family of Purshotam Singh revealed that Jagtar Singh Hawara, Paramjit Singh and constable Balwant Sins had been visiting their newly rented house in Manav Chowk area if ‘Ambala, for the last couple of months a day before the encounter, Hawara was seen at the Manav Chowk residence of Purshotam police said.

The CBI, which was investigable the Beant assassination case had de cleared the three accused as absconders, besides claiming that Hawara had crossed over to Pakistan, Of late, the intelligence reports were claiming that Balwant Singh was hiding somewhere 4nyammilard Kashmir.

 According to sources, the diary I covered and other material from the tractor trailer which was seized by the police on the intervening night of December 14 and 15, after an encounter, indicated that the group intended to spread reign of terror in the northern India region. This was allegedly part of a wider game plan of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan, to divert the attention of the security forces from Jammu and Kashmir.

 Had the plot to assassinate Mr. Bhajan Lal succeeded, there would have been a trail of communal frenzy swaying the state with far reaching consequences in the coming election year, it is believed. It is learnt that Hawara had introduced himself as Jassa, Paramjeet Singh as Gurmeet Singh, to the members of the family of Purshotam Singh. The fifth clean shaven person, who escaped under the cover of darkness is stated to be Constable Balwant Singh, who is considered to be yet another member of the group.

Article extracted from this publication >> December 22, 1995