CHANDIGARH: The arrest of more than half a dozen constables and head constables of the local police during the past few weeks had foiled plans of various militant outfits to strike in the city in a big way, it is reliable learnt.

Informed sources say the interrogation of two constables Sukhdev Singh and Gurmeet Singh arrested this week revealed that they had planned to plant powerful bombs at the Sector 17 over bridge from where various senior officers motor down to their offices.

Hailing from Gurdaspur district the sources add, these constables are suspected to belong to the Bhirdranwale Tiger Force. Sukhdev Singh and Gurmeet Singh, the sources allege were helping B.T.F. in giving details of the location of houses of their targets. They also allegedly helped in shifting firearms and other ammunition from one place to another. Militants belonging to the B.T.F had taken a room on rent for lodging these constables at Mohali. They also used to stay with the constables as their guests so that none suspected them to be militants.

The sources allege that Head Constable Avtar Singh, posted at the police lines and his brother, Constable Dilbagh Singh, who worked as driver at the Manimajra police station, had planned to plant bombs at the police lines and the U.T-Secretariat. While the former was arrested the latter is at large, the sources say.

The police had recovered massive explosive material from their possession that was enough to set the city afire.

Hailing from Ropar district, the two brothers had also allegedly planned to plant bombs at parliamentary election meetings addressed by national leaders of various political parties in the city.

Head Constable Avtar Singh confessed during his interrogation the sources say that he had helped the assassins of Mr Rattan Lal Sharma, Secretary to the Punjab Governor’s Secretary, cross the Mohali barrier after they perpetrated the crime. His brother is suspected to be involved with those militants who attempted to ambush the Manimajra S.H.G Mr Nana Ram at the Housing Board Chowk. In this incident a few constables were injured.

The sources add that Head Constable Avtar Singh, posted at the police lines and his brother, constable Dilbagh singh, who worked as driver at the Manimajra police station, had planned to plant bombs at the police lines and the U.T. Secretariat. While the former was arrested the latter is at large, the sources say. The police had recovered massive explosive material from their possession that was enough to set the city afire. Hailing from Ropar district, the two brothers had also allegedly planned to plant bombs at parliamentary election meetings ad- dressed by national leaders of various political parties in the city,

Head Constable Avtar Singh confessed during his interring at ion the sources say that he had helped the assassins of Mr Rattan Lal Sharma, Secretary to the Punjab Governor’s Secretary, cross the Mohali barrier after they perpetrated the crime. His brother is suspected to be involved with those militants who attempted to ambush the Manimajra S.H.G Mr Nana Ram at the Housing Board Chowk. In this incident a few constables were iniured. The sources add that Head Constable Avtar Singh, who is allegedly involved in in a large number of killings in Punjab, was operating with Balvinder Singh Jatana, head of the Babbar Khalsa group in Chandigarh, Ropart and neighboring Haryana. He is al- a Punjab V.V.LP and makes an attempt on his life as and when he visited the trouble-torn State. To avenge the killing of certain militants (Tej Pal Singh who committed suicide by consuming cyanide in Sector 28, Gurmeet Singh of Ropar and Baldev Singh Bhakhomajra in Sector 45), and to secure the release of one of their accomplices Tony from the custody of the local police Avtar Singh told the police, the Babbar Khalsa, had kidnapped two daughters of a C.R.P.F. Commandant (posted in Delhi) and sister-in-law of Mr But a Singh from Punjab Agricultural University Ludhiana. Tony is lodged at Barnail tail. The police also arrested some time a got to more constables who had allegedly planted a bomb ai the Sector 26 police station. Both these constables are also under trial and are lodged at Burail Jail.

Senior officers feel that to screen the local police had become necessary to save it from infiltration by militant elements.(Tribune)

Article extracted from this publication >> July 19, 1991