Friday, June 27

NIA files chargesheet against 7 Babbar Khalsa operatives for grenade attack on Punjab police station

New Delhi, June 27 (IANS) The NIA filed a chargesheet against seven Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) terrorists, including three on the run, in the December 2024 grenade attack on a police station in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district, an official said on Friday.

All seven accused have been chargesheeted under sections of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Explosive Substances Act, as well as other related provisions, for their roles in the conspiracy and execution of the attack, which took place on December 12, 2024, said an official statement.

The terror attack on the Ghanie Ke Bangar police station in Batala, district Gurdaspur, was claimed on social media by BKI operatives Harpreet Singh alias Happy Passia and Gurpreet alias Gopi, it said.

US-based Passia, along with Pakistan-based terrorist Harwinder Singh alias Rinda as well as Shamsher Singh alias Shera alias Honey, are the three absconding accused named in the chargesheet by NIA in the case RC-07/2025/NIA/DLI on Thursday.

The four arrested accused chargesheeted by the anti-terror agency have been identified as Kuljit Singh, Abhijot Singh, Gurjinder Singh and Shubham, all residents of village Qila Lal Singh, Batala, Punjab.

The NIA took over the case from state police on Marach 23 this year.

During the investigation, the NIA found that at Rinda’s behest, Happy Passia had recruited Abhijot Singh through his node, Shamsher Singh alias Shera alias Honey in Armenia, to carry out the terror attack.

Abhijot has also been arrested by NIA in a separate case relating to targeted shooting in Sector 10, Chandigarh.

On his return from Armenia, Abhijot had engaged in picking and dropping of weapons and explosives on the directions of his foreign-based handlers.

He had expanded his gang by recruiting Kuljit Singh and other accused. Kuljit had picked up the grenade on December 9 for the attack on the police station. No injury was reported in the incident.

Earlier, Punjab’s Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Border Range, Satinder Singh said that after the attack at the police establishments, Batala Police launched a special operation to trace the perpetrators.

Based on technical and human-based intelligence, police teams under the supervision of Senior Superintendent of Police, Batala, Suhail Qasim Mir managed to track down all the accused and apprehend them, he added.

–IANS

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