Chandigarh, August 25
Desperate to revive terrorism in Punjab, the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) had reportedly hatched a conspiracy to assassinate Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal during a village meeting in Mansa about a month ago.

And more startling is that the armed assassin who was deputed by the terror outfit for the job had even reached the spot and was within point-blank range of Sukhbir, sources said. But the plot, they said, was called off at the last minute. The reason: the clean-up plan of the BKI, which included the killing of the assassin, too, was not foolproof.

The plot was unearthed during the interrogation of six persons - Makhan Singh of Sardoolgarh, Karan Singh and Gamdoor Singh (alias Gora) of Jhanduke village and Amrit Pal Singh, Raj Singh and Binder Singh of Kotdharmu village - arrested by the Mansa police for the murder of Lily Kumar, a Dera Sacha Sauda activist, on July 29. The same day, the president of Punjab Rashtriya Sikh Sangat (a RSS wing) Rulda Singh was killed in Patiala. The BKI, it is learnt, later claimed responsibility for both the killings.

Interestingly, the information revealed by the accused was considered “so sensitive” that Punjab DGP PS Gill himself had to go to Kot Fatehpuri police station to interrogate them. Sources in the police said the plan to kill Sukhbir was hatched in view of his “soft stand” on the Dera Sacha Sauda issue.

Though the police claims that the hatched plot never reached anywhere near execution, the chilling details revealed by the accused have spurred them (police) to close in on those who might be building a fresh network to revive terrorism in the state.

The interrogation of those arrested revealed that the BKI had planned to kill other leaders as well. Other than the Mansa and Patiala incidents, the foiled conspiracy to kill the manager of Dera Salabatpura along with opening fire at a bus of Dera followers in Bathinda is being considered to be the handiwork of the same group.

Regarding the incident, former Punjab ‘super cop’ KPS Gill said: “I have been told that the assassin with a revolver on him managed to get on to the stage where Sukhbir was sitting. This is a serious security lapse. For, it is the political compulsion of a leader to meet people and the police should be ensuring their safety.”

“There is a tendency among the police to attribute several incidents to the same group. Till one has concrete evidence to show this, every incident should be considered separate from the other and be dealt with accordingly,” added Gill.

When contacted, Sukhbir Singh Badal, also the state Home Minister, said the government was committed to maintaining the hard-earned peace in the state. “We will ensure that law and order is maintained in the state at any cost,” he added.