LUDHIANA: The Friday’s bomb blast at the car of Union Minister of State for Home. Subodh Kant Sahay near here was the handiwork of the four militant organisations associated with Dr Sohan Singh. Ina statement to the press they said they regretted only the fact that innocent persons had been hurt in the attack.
SSP Anil Kumar Sharma said the police on Friday night raided several places and rounded up a number of suspects who were being screened. He said the country ride bomb was buried six inches deep into the soil under a heap of gravel lying along the road for its repairs. It was connected through a 300-ft. long wire to a battery and was triggered off as soon as the car approached the point. The car over turned and then the militants opened fire but Sahay escaped unhurt.
Sharma said the bomb which was planted the previous night was not electronic and its impact was distributed on all sides so it caused less damage
The Director General of Punjab Police D.S.Mangat on Saturday visited the spot and held a meeting with senior security officers and Sahay. The minister said it was being ascertained if there was some security lapse in failure to detect the bomb.
According to Sahay Chandra Shekhar had a casual talk with him and advised him to continue his election campaign undaunted
The home minister asserted that the government was determined to complete the electoral process in Punjab till the last moment. He ruled out any postponement of elections. He said the blast was the work of those forces which were operating at the behest of foreign powers so that Punjab did not prosper. Sahay said his government was interested in holding negotiations with these misguided persons. He observed that the killings by the militants as well as by the police must stop. While expressing satisfaction at the anti-militant fight of the state administration he said his regime was not substitute for popular democratic set-up which must be restored after the polls.
It appears that the aim was to again cause counter mending of the Ludhiana Lok Sabha poll. This could easily achieve by targeting a less protected candidate. By making the union home minister their target they probably aimed to demoralize the whole police force.
Sahay said security in Punjab would be beefed up by more forces.
Article extracted from this publication >> June 14, 1991