M A I N   N E W S

An ‘arrest’ that was expected
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 12
The arrest of the Khalistan Commando Force (KCF) chief , Wassan Singh Zaffarwal, one of the most dreaded Sikh militants of the 80s, by the Majitha police at the Amritsar bus stand last evening was a foregone conclusion after The Tribune had broken the story from Amritsar on April 1 this year about the possibility of his surrender.

Sources in the police and intelligence agencies now admit that his presence in India in general and Punjab, including Chandigarh, in particular was well known to them. He reportedly left Zurich in Switzerland late in February for an undisclosed destination, which later was confirmed to be Punjab.

The Tribune followed it up with a story about his presence in the city (?) on April 4.

The Punjab police reportedly issued an alert to all district police chiefs soon thereafter asking them to be vigilant and keep watch for him. Since the intelligence and security agencies had tightened their net around his suspected hideouts, including the houses of his relatives and in-laws, Wassan Singh mostly stayed away from Majha, his home area.

Sources reveal that he mostly camped around Chandigarh and even in some nearby areas of Haryana to avoid immediate detection.

Unconfirmed reports say that he spent most of his time either travelling or meeting people who could facilitate his early return to the mainstream. That is why he avoided staying in Punjab territory but wanted to be close by and chose some “safe areas” on the periphery of the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana for his temporary stay.

His movements did not create much suspicion because he mostly moved around without much of “visible” personal security.

A Punjab Minister, believed to be related to Wassan Singh, was instrumental in his return to India to ensure that he gave himself up before the law -enforcement agencies.

The Minister was also cautioned by intelligence agencies and the police to ensure that the return of the wanted militant to the legal course should not “embarrass the government”.

Sources maintain that the security and intelligence agencies had closed in on him some days ago and, after watching his movements, had him in “protective custody”. It was the police which had reportedly engineered his journey back to Punjab from a neighbouring state before his formal arrest last evening.

Though he was not involved in any direct militant activity in Punjab after he moved to Zurich in 1995, the police and intelligence agencies had been actively keeping tab on him.

Of late, he had come close to Dr Jagjit Singh Chauhan, a staunch votary of “Khalistan”, and was often seen with him at various religious and other functions of the Sikh community in Europe. It may be pertinent to mention here that Dr Chauhan, too, had expressed his willingness to visit India but was denied permission. A petition was also filed to secure permission for him to visit his “motherland”.

Starting as a simple villager with religious upbringing, Wassan Singh had little or no interest in studies. Instead, he preferred to do

“stints” as a “pathi” after he was baptised. Since he came from a religious family with an Akali background, he came in close contact with some religious persons of the area, including Baba Sarwan Singh, a hardcore disciple of the Damdami Taksal, in general and Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale in particular. It was Baba Sarwan Singh who took him to Sant Jarnail Singh.

In between, Wassan Singh joined Egerton Mills at Dhariwal as a Class IV employee after clearing the seventh standard. In the late 70s, he became a staunch follower of the Damdami Taksal and started visiting Chowk Mehta.

In 1980, he was picked up by the police a couple of times for being a follower of Sant Jarnail Singh. It was around this time that he got married to Darshan Kaur. Two detentions changed his attitude. In 1984, after Operation Bluestar, he not only left his job but also got actively involved in the militant movement.