Intelligence agencies have got strong inputs regarding the involvement of a Khalistan-supported group backed by Pakistan’s ISI in the planning and execution of the Ludhiana court blast. A senior officer said that after the 26 January 2021 Red Fort incident, intelligence agencies were on their toes in Punjab to keep a close watch on Khalistan forces trying to revive their movement. The handlers based in Pakistan were giving instructions to their on-ground workers to execute terror activities in Punjab. Many such attempts were foiled in a joint operation with the state police, he added.
The person who died in the blast is believed to have had brought explosives to the District Court Complex, police said on Friday. “The blast (in Ludhiana court) occurred at 12:22 pm, yesterday (23 December). Preliminary investigation suggests that the person who died in the blast was the handler/criminal. Forensic experts, bomb experts are looking into the matter,” Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, Ludhiana Commissioner of Police, said.
“We got specific inputs regarding local gangs have been hired and radicalized to revive Khalistan movement that was backed by Pakistan’s ISI. We shared these inputs with local police and an operation was conducted across the state to prepare a list of criminals out on bail or absconding. The recoveries made in the last few months were just the tip of an iceberg,” said a senior police officer.
He added that the incident of grenade blast near the gate of the Army cantonment in Pathankot in November was also a terror activity executed by local criminals.
“This year around 42 drone sightings of unmanned aerial vehicles near Punjab were reported and many more remained unreported. The explosives and small arms were dropped using the drone from Pakistan side will be used to destabilize peace in the state,” said a senior officer.
In the last five months, Punjab Police have recovered seven tiffin bombs and more than 10 hand grenades from bordering towns.
In August this year, Punjab Police had arrested Gurmukh Singh, son of the nephew of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and recovered a huge quantity of explosives from his possession. In the investigation, it was found that he was getting logistical support from Pakistan’s ISI and other Pakistan-based pro-Khalistan terrorist groups to carry out multiple terror attacks in Punjab in the ongoing efforts to revive terrorism before the state elections. Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla held a high-level meeting on the security situation in the country. Intelligence Bureau Director Arvind Kumar, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and National Investigation Agency (NIA) Chief Kuldiep Singh and Border Security Force (BSF) Director General Pankaj Singh were among those present at the meeting that lasted for nearly an hour in the Home Ministry.
Senior officials of NIA and Home Ministry were also present in the meeting. It is learnt that Bhalla took stock of the security situation in Punjab following the blast. It was the second security meeting chaired by the Home Secretary since yesterday. He had on Thursday held a security situation in Jammu and Kashmir in the wake of recent targeted killings by terrorists.