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 told ANI that after the 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 of such attempts were foiled in a joint operation with state police, he added.
“We got specific inputs regarding locals 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 to 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 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.
There has been a surge in reported drone activities, originating from Pakistan, in border areas of Punjab. Moreover, the state has reported numerous recoveries of tiffin bombs and grenades. In the last five months, Punjab Police has recovered seven tiffin bombs and more than 10 hand grenades from bordering towns.
Punjab is undergoing a volatile situation as the state witnessed a ‘sacrilege’ attempt, two mob lynchings, and an explosion in a Ludhiana court complex within a week’s span.
A post-blast investigation team of the National Security Guard (NSG) reached Ludhiana on Thursday to probe the blast in the Ludhiana District Court complex. The Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) NSG team is headed by a squadron commander level officer.
In August this year, Punjab Police had arrested Gurmukh Singh, son of the nephew of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and recovered a huge amount of explosives from his possession. In the investigation, it was found that he was getting logistic support from Pakistan’s ISI and by other Pakistan-based pro-Khalistan terrorist groups to carry out multiple terror attacks in Punjab in its ongoing efforts to revive militancy before state elections.
