Gurdaspur grenade attack: 3 Khalistan Zindabad Force members gunned down in Pilibhit encounter

Pilibhit/Chandigarh, Dec 23 (PTI) Three suspected Khalistani terrorists allegedly involved in the grenade attack in Gurdaspur were killed in an encounter with police in Pilibhit early Monday, with Punjab’s Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav terming it as a major breakthrough against a Pakistan-sponsored terror module.

The success comes after three blasts which took place in different districts of Punjab this month.

The gunfight between members of the Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) and a joint team of Uttar Pradesh Police and Punjab Police took place in Puranpur area of Pilibhit after three module members opened fire at the police party.

DGP Yadav said the three have been identified as Varinder Singh alias Ravi (23), Gurvinder Singh (25) and Jashanpreet Singh alias Partap Singh (18).

They are residents of Kalanaur police station and are accused of hurling a hand grenade at the Bakshiwala police post in Kalanaur in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district on December 18, a Punjab police statement said on Monday. No one was injured in the Bakshiwala incident.

Terrorist organisation KZF had later used social media platform to claim the responsibility for this act of terror.

Amitabh Yash, Additional Director General (Law and Order), Uttar Pradesh Police said the trio was involved in the grenade attack on a police checkpoint in Gurdaspur.

“The three sustained serious injuries in the encounter and were immediately rushed to CHC Puranpur for treatment,” he said.

The ADG told PTI that the three suspects later succumbed to their injuries.

Two AK-47 rifles, two Glock pistols and a huge cache of ammunition were seized from them, he said.

In a major breakthrough against Pakistan ISI-sponsored KZF terror module, a joint operation of Punjab Police and Uttar Pradesh Police led to an encounter with three module members involved in grenade attack at Police establishment in Gurdaspur, said DGP Yadav.

According to a Punjab police statement, the DGP said said preliminary investigation has revealed that this terror module is controlled by Pak-based Ranjeet Singh Nita, the chief of KZF, and operated by Greece-based Jaswinder Singh Mannu, a native of village Agwan village in Kalanaur.

Accused Varinder alias Ravi, who was leading the module, also belongs to Agwan village. He was being further controlled and masterminded by UK-based Jagjeet Singh and was using assumed identity of Fateh Singh Baghi to also claim the responsibility of the grenade attack, the DGP said, according to the statement.

In a post on X, DGP Yadav said, “This module is controlled by Ranjeet Singh Nita… It is further controlled by Jagjeet Singh, based in the #UK and serving in the #British Army. Jagjeet Singh used the identity of Fateh Singh Baggi.”

Investigations are underway to expose all the connections and members of the module and more recoveries and arrests are likely, he said.

Sharing operation details, Punjab’s Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Border Range Satinder Singh said following reliable inputs about suspects having fled to UP and taking shelter somewhere there at Pilibhit, the Gurdaspur Police immediately informed the Pilibhit police and also moved police teams from Gurdaspur to Pilibhit to launch a joint operation.

Police teams had successfully traced the accused persons who, when confronted, opened fire at the police teams, prompting the police parties to retaliate, Satinder Singh said. During the exchange of fire, the three accused persons sustained bullet injuries and were immediately taken to CHC Puranpur for urgent medical treatment, he added.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Gurdaspur, Harish Dayama said further investigations are going on to expose all connections and members of this terror module and more arrests and recoveries likely in coming days.

A case FIR dated December 19 was already registered under sections 109 and 324 (4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and section 4 (5) of the Explosive Act at Police Station at Kalanaur. Sections 13, 16, 17, 18-B, 20, 35 and 40 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act have now been added in the FIR, the police statement said.

Referring to the grenade attack, Congress MP Sukhjinder Randhawa said, “Till today, police were not accepting that there was an attack. They claimed that a tyre had exploded.”

He alleged a “big conspiracy” is underway to destabilise Punjab and the state is being harmed. Industries are leaving, people don’t want to work here, youngsters are leaving as they are afraid, he told PTI Videos.

The Punjab government and the BJP-led central government are hand in glove with each other, and the two are working towards the same goal — how to finish Punjab, the MP alleged.

“Today drones and RDX are coming into Punjab from Pakistan. The IEDs that are planted, where are they coming from? Punjab Police has laid down arms before criminals. I have written to the Union home minister and I also request the chief minister of Punjab to protect the people of Punjab,” he said.

Randhawa said MPs from Punjab have also sought time from Union Home Minister Amit Shah on many occasions for a meeting but he “did not deem it important to hear us out”.

“Punjab is a border state and Pakistan is fighting a proxy war with India through Punjab,” he said, adding that he told Shah in Parliament that he needed to discuss an issue related to national security with him.

“He (Shah) told me that we would meet later in the day but I was never allotted time for the meeting,” Randhawa claimed.

The blast outside the Bakshiwala police chowki was the second such incident in Punjab last week and the third this month.

A blast had occurred at Islamabad police station in Amritsar on December 17. However, no one was injured in the incident.

The Islamabad police station incident had taken place a fortnight after a hand grenade was lobbed at a police post in Nawanshahr. Some people attacked Asron police post in the Kathgarn police station in Nawanshahr by hurling a hand grenade in its premises on December 2.