CHANDIGARH: Gunmen believed to be Black Cats shot dead nine passengers of a private bus, and 8 occupants of five cars as 26 people, including eleven militants were killed elsewhere in Punjab on Nov 9.

Scooter broke gunmen waylaid a private bus on way to Jalandhar near the historic Gurdwara Achal Sahib near Batala. They then hijacked the bus to near Balpurian where from point blank range they fired at the passengers killing seven of them on the spot and injuring 14 others. Details of the ghastly murders in the cars travelling on the same road were not available.

Two of the injured succumbed to their injuries in a hospital at Batala, The assailants managed to escape despite the development of a number of security personnel in the Batala district.

A border security force (BSF) officer and his party had a narrow escape when militants fired at them.

Twenty seven Sikhs were detained by the Chandigarh police during house to house search where curfew was clamped around 0200 hrs. Friday, the city inspector general of police told PTI here.

Some men hanged to death a trader in Bhumra village of Batala district.

In the same district, a militant released on bail was shot dead following “intergang” rivalry in Sarwali village under Dera Baba Nanak police station, the police claimed.

Three men were killed in an encounter with a Punjab Police party near Dhariwal in Gurdaspur district Friday. One Ak47 rifle, two Mausers and one scooter were recovered from the spot.

Militants raided a house in Dehtiwapa village in Ferozepur district and shot dead one person and kidnaped his sister, son and daughter-in-law. Over the week 79 were persons killed.

Article extracted from this publication >> November 16, 1990