CHANDIGARH: Five people including a militant and two intruders were killed, a militant committed suicide and an assistant sub-inspector of police was injured in Punjab during the past 24 hours.

Two intruders were shot dead early on Tuesday in separate encounters with the Border Security Force in the Dera Baba Nanak and Mamdot sectors of Gurdaspur and Ferozepur districts respectively.

The bullet-ridden body of Harjinder Singh Chhinda was recovered from the fields near Kandila village in Batala police district Gurdaspur on Tuesday.

Balbir Singh committed suicide by consuming cyanide pills when captured on Tuesday morning near Kot Badal Khan village in Jalandhar district. His companion, identified as Swaran Singh, escaped.

Gunmen shot and wounded Mr. Balbir Singh, as, who headed a naka party near Aluwal village in Bhatinda district.

A special police officer’s constable, Joga Singh, deserted his post at Shaheed under the Patti police station in Amritsar and took away his service rifle and 50 cartridges on Monday night.

There was no trace of gunmen responsible for Monday night’s Tanda killings though Punjab police claimed they had identified them.

The police appeared to be in retaliation to the killing of Sukhdey Singh alias Gen. Labh Singh” commander of the KCF on July 11

Residents of Tanda and its three Suburbs Mayalpur, Urmur and Darapur observed a complete bandh on Tuesday to mourn the killing of ten people. Bodies of nine victims were cremated at a mass funeral while the body of Manjoor Ali (17) a senior secondary school student was buried.

Article extracted from this publication >> November 11, 1988