M A I N   N E W S

5 Babbars held with weapons
Tribune News Service

Gurdaspur, May 2
The arrest of five activists of the Babbar Khalsa International has given startling information on the designs of Pakistan’s ISI to re-organise former militants and families of slain terrorists to destabilise Punjab.

During the during interrogation, the arrested militants, however, said that despite best efforts of Pakistan and foreign-based militants, fresh youths were not coming forward to join the militant ranks.

Mr Sarbjit Singh, Director-General Police, said that the arrested militants had revealed that they were assigned to target VVIPs in the state. He, however, refused to disclose the names of VIPs for security reasons.

A huge quantity of lethal arms and ammunition, including black RDX and AK-47 with a grenade launcher, were recovered from the possession of the militants.

The arrested persons include Sukhwinder Singh, alias Sukha, a resident of Bhukhra village, Gurmukh Singh of Gurdaspur, Randhir Singh Dhira of Kalanaur, Manjit Singh of Kalanaur village and Balwinder Singh, alias Bhinda of Dostpur.

Mr Sukhdev Singh, SSP, informed that the arrested activists of the Babbar Khalsa were working at the behest of foreign-based groups.

However, Mr A.S. Aulakh, Inspector-General, Border Security Force, refuted the charges of the Punjab Police that arms and ammunition were smuggled from the Kalanaur border in Gurdaspur district. He said the entire Punjab border with Pakistan was sealed and there was no question of smuggling of arms from this border.

The kingpin in this conspiracy has been identified as Sukhwinder Singh, alias Sukha, brother of killed Babbar Khalsa member Sulakhan Singh of Bhukra village. Sukha has remained in jail in connection with a murder. The arrest has again highlighted the vulnerability of close members of families of terrorists falling in the trap of militant nodals who are finding it difficult to recruit new boys and are concentrating one either ex-militants or family members of killed militants.

Through, Sukha, the foreign-based coordinators contacted his cousin, Gurmukh Singh, an Amritdhari youth who was given the allurement of a foreign job settlement as member of a kirtani jatha if he carried out militant activisties. As part of this understanding, Gurmukh, an impressionable youth having a strong desire to go abroad, had got himself enrolled as a student in a religious institution from where he was getting training in musical instruments so as to become member of a kirtani jahta to go out of the country, expenditure and sponsorships for which were to be arranged by Babbar Khalsa coordinators.

This is not an isolated case where Babbar Khalsa nodals have motivated a youth using this modus operandi. In the past, on numerous occasions, it was revealed by the arrested youth belonging to this outfit how they were lured to reach Thailand, Nepal and Singapore to be further shifted to Pakistan for indoctrination with the understanding that they would be settled abroad in due course. The interrogation of the arrested module has once again highlighted the vulnerability of Punjab sector and the desperation with which hostile elements are working to make use of the porous sectors existing along the 554 km long Indo-Pak border in the state.

The recovered consignments were pushed by Babbar Khalsa coordinators from across the border with the help of expert crossers using the Kalanaur sector Bakshiwal village. Randhir Dheera and Balwinder Binda, residents of the nearby Dostpur village were cultivated by Sukha and Gurmukh to assist them in smuggling weapons and militant activisties, to motivate them further, Sukha financed the youths with the financial assistance received from his mentors from abroad.

The ISI of late, is not only trying to activate the Punjab border for sending weapons and explosives for Punjab militants but also for Pan Islamic ventures. The matter is being taken up with the BSF authorities for better management of the vulnerable sectors on the Indo-Pak border in Punjab.

The arrested module received funds and tactical guidance through Babbar Khalsa coordinators based in Germany, the UK and Pakistan. The prime coordinator in this case has been identified as Tarsem Singh the of UK, who is assisted by one “Baba ji” based in Germany. Tarsem Singh is a close associate of Avtar Singh Sanghera, a top Babbar from the UK, presently supervising kar seva of a gurdwara in Pakistan.