4 min readAmritsarDec 11, 2022 08:15 AM IST
First published on: Dec 11, 2022 at 08:15 AM IST
The rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) attack at a police station in border district of Tarn Taran is the fifth such attack on a Punjab Police establishment in last 13 months. The projectile, fired by some unidentified people, hit the Saanjh Kendra adjoining the Sarhali police station on the Amritsar-Bathinda highway Friday night. There was no casualty but window panes and a wall of the building were damaged.
State police chief Gaurav Yadav, who described the latest incident as a “strategy of the neighbouring nation to bleed India by a thousand cuts”, said the attack was in some way similar to to one on the Punjab Police Intelligence headquarters in Mohali in May this year. Even as agencies investigate the latest incident, multiple sources in the state police are drawing some parallels between the Sarhali attack and the four others that took place starting November 7, 2021. On November 7 last year, personnel at the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) office at Nawanshahr had a narrow escape when a grenade was hurled at its main gate. Two weeks later, another grenade was thrown by motorcycle-borne persons near the Triveni gate of the Army’s cantonment in Pathankot.
On March 9, this year, a police post at Kalma Morh in Ropar on the Nurpur Bedi-Nangal road was attacked, damaging its side wall. One common thread in all previous attacks — police found that the accused were not personally attached to the idea of Khalistan and many of them were not from Sikh community. According to the police, the accused were lured with money and foreign dreams to carry out these attacks. Gangsters, shooters and even small time criminals executed these attacks on ground.
Attack at CIA office
Personnel at the CIA office at Nawanshahr had a narrow escape when a grenade was hurled at the main gate on the night of November 7 last year. Later police arrested Manish Kumar alias Mani alias Baba, a resident of Bains village in Nawanshahr, Ramandeep Singh alias Jakhu of Atta village at Goraya in Jalandhar district, and Pardeep Singh alias Bhatti of Sahlon village in Nawanshahr for executing the attack on instructions of Pakistan-based gangster Harvinder Singh Rinda. According to the police, Ramandeep had confessed that he and Manish had thrown the grenade at the CIA office on the directions of Rinda. Before the attack, Ramandeep had allegedly received the consignment and picked up two grenades from a location on the Ludhiana-Ferozepur road. The police claimed that Rinda had lured Ramandeep with Rs 4 lakh to carry out the attack.
Attack at Army Cantonment
Two weeks later, another grenade was thrown by motorcycle-borne men near the Triveni gate of the Army’s cantonment in Pathankot around 9 pm on November 21. Police alleged Khalistani militant Lakhbir Singh Rode hired Amandeep alias Mantri of Lakhanpal village in Gurdaspur, Gurwinder Singh alias Gindi of Kharal village in Gurdaspur, Parminder Kumar alias Rohit alias Rohta of Kharal village in Gurdaspur, Rajinder Singh alias Malhi alias Nikku of Gunnupur village in Gurdaspur, Harpreet Singh alias Dholki of Gotpokar village in Gurdaspur and Raman Kumar of Ghazikot village in Gurdaspur to carry out the attack.
Attack at police check post in Ropar
On March 9, this year, the police post at Kalma Morh in Ropar on the Nurpur Bedi-Nangal road was attacked, damaging its side wall. The police alleged that Rinda was behind this attack. Kuldeep Kumar alias Sunny, Shabhkaran Singh alias Sajan, Rohia alias Ballu, Jitvesh Sethi and Amandeep Kumar were arrested for executing attack. Kuldeep Kumar allegedly lured other small time criminals with promise of handsome cash to execute attack, says police probe.
Attack at Intelligence Headquarters, Mohali
Two shooters Deepak Jhajjar and Devayanshu and one murder accused Charat Singh had executed Mohali RPG blast on the alleged instruction of gangster Lakhbir Singh Landa and Harvinder Singh Rinda.
The Sarhali police station in Tarn Taran where a rocket-propelled grenade attack took place on Saturday. (Express Photo) 
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