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Tarn Taran blast accused plotted attack on Sukhbir Singh Badal

Chandigarh: Punjab police probe into the September 4 explosion in Pandori Gola village of Tarn Taran district has revealed that the accused had scripted a plot to eliminate SAD president and then deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal in November 2016, but called it off at the last minute. National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken over the probe in this case from the state police last week.



It has come out during interrogation of Malkit Singh Shera, one of the eight arrested accused, that Bikram Singh Panjwar, who had expertise in making bombs and had fled to Austria in July 2018, had planned to hurl two bombs on Sukhbir during his visit to Harmandar Sahib in November 2016. Panjwar blamed the Badal family for the sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib “bir” (copy of scripture) in Bargari.

Shera had told the police since Sukhbir was to visit Harmandar Sahib on the birth anniversary of Guru Ram Das, Panjwar had handed over a bomb to Shera and had kept another one with him to attack Sukhbir at the entrance of Harmandar Sahib. But he scuttled the plan on seeing massive police deployment for Sukhbir’s visit, according to his claim before the police.

The state police investigation has also revealed that since the two bombs were not used in November 2016, these were buried in a field on the outskirts of Pandori Gola village. When the accused – Gurjant Singh, Harpreet Singh and Vikramjeet - tried to dig out these bombs on September 4, they exploded accidently. Police have claimed that Gurjant and his accomplices were to use these bombs to attack some VIPs. Gurjant escaped with injuries but the other two succumbed.

Before handing over the case to the NIA, the state police had arrested eight accused in the case, Malkit Singh Shera, Gurjant Singh, Harjit Singh, Chandeep Singh Khalsa, Manpreet Singh Mann, Maandeep Singh, Amarjit Singh and Amritpal Singh.

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