JULIAJAN (LUDHIANA): The Punjab Chief Minister, Beant Singh, and his two cabinet colleagues had a lucky escape on “Tuesday as a bomb was defected from a spot on a roadside from where they were to pass a short while later on their way to Chandigarh. The detection of the bomb was followed by two powerful bomb blast in that area before Beants arrival.
Beant Singh had gone to Rauni village, 60 km from Ludhiana, to participate in the first death anniversary of one of his close associate, Sarpanch Nahar Singh. He reached there at 11:25 a.m. accompanied by the Excise and Taxation Minister, Shamshet Singh Dulo, the State Tourism Minister Karam Singh Gill and two MLAs, Malkiat Singh and Harnek Singh and Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner. S.S. Channy.
The bomb was detected at 12:15 , pam. five kilometers away near Jullajan village on the Khanna Maler kotkla road, Beant Singh had passed that spot on way to Rauni. The bombs were detected after some fodder carrying women saw truck dropping something on the roadside.
The women informed an army patrol party which was keeping a vigil on the Chief Ministers route. The army men blocked the traffic and summoned army explosive experts from Payal. “The bomb included an explosive fitted with a32cell battery. Ito yet to be connected to a wire al distance but this was pre empty and no wire could be laid. The army squad took the explosive i its possession after neutralizing A Central Industrial Security Force officer told newsmen at the spot that they had heard a power full bomb blast there a lite whit ago. The traffic was restored about 1:40 p.m.
Article extracted from this publication >> March 13, 1992
