By IANS
New Delhi : Two suspected Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) militants have been arrested in Punjab, and Delhi Police Thursday claimed to have foiled attempts to target religious leaders to revive militancy.
Delhi Police’s Special Cell arrested Jaswant Singh, 31, and Surender Singh alias Fauzi, 22, from Jalandhar city Wednesday. The police said two pistols smuggled from Pakistan and 11 live cartridges were recovered from them.
“Their immediate target was Baba Piara Singh, based in Ropar district of Punjab,” Joint Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Karnal Singh said.
“The duo during the interrogation revealed that BKI chief Wadhwa Singh is living in Pakistan and he is managing the whole operation through his son Satnam Singh, based in Germany and some other associates in the US and Britain,” Karnal Singh added.
The top official said, in a bid to revive militancy in Punjab, the terrorist group wanted to create religious discord and disharmony in Punjab by assassinating some prominent religious leaders in the state.
Dec 31, 2007, four BKI militants – identified as Baljeet Singh Pahu, 34, of Mohali, Bikkar Singh, 28, of Sangrur, Kulwinderjeet Singh, 33, of Ludhiana and Trilochan Singh, 45, of Panchkula – were arrested for plotting to terminate Baba Piara Singh, leader of a popular religious sect.
At that time, Jaswant Singh and Surender Singh managed to escape from the police.
The police said Jaswant Singh and Surender Singh are said to be close associates of Jagtar Singh Hawara, Paramjeet Singh Bheora and Jagtar Singh Tara – the trio accused of killing former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh. Jaswant Singh and Surender helped them in escape jail in 1994.
Hawara was also involved in the blasts in two Delhi cinema halls in 2005. Delhi Police arrested Hawara in June 2005 and Bheora in March 2006, but Tara managed to escape to Pakistan.
The police said Jaswant Singh was arrested in July 2005for violations of the Arms Act and Explosive Substance Act. During his brief jail term, he came in contact with Daya Singh Lahoria, chief of Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF), Tahal Singh and Baljeet Singh Pahu, a smuggler of arms, drugs and fake currency.
Pahu arranged Jaswant Singh’s release in 2007 and both were taking directions from the BKI chief in Pakistan.