2 held for Punjab BJP man’s clinic attack; Pak influencer Shehzad Bhatti named accused
On the night of June 22, 2 motorcycle-borne men arrived at BJP leader Tarsem Garg’s clinic and allegedly threw a lit petrol-filled bottle into the verandah.
The two accused who have been taken into custody in connection with the petrol bomb attack on BJP leader Tarsem Garg’s clinic in Bathinda on June 22. (Express/Special Arrangement) Two people were arrested Thursday in connection with the petrol bomb attack on BJP leader Tarsem Garg’s clinic in Bathinda, even as the police named Pakistan-based social media influencer Shehzad Bhatti an accused in the case and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) stepped in to probe Monday’s incident.
The police said Nakhul Kumar Rajput and Gurvinder Singh were arrested in Abohar based on CCTV footage and technical evidence. Rajput works in a rice sheller in Fazilka, while Gurvinder Singh is a daily wage labourer.
Harjeet Singh, Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Bathinda range, said, “Raids are being conducted to arrest the third person, Sandeep Singh, who had hired these men to do the job. We have nominated Shehzad Bhatti too in the First Information Report (FIR).”
The escape bid
According to the police, the two men allegedly attempted to escape while being brought to Bathinda. They got the vehicle stopped on a pretext and jumped off a flyover in a bid to flee custody, the police said. Gurvinder Singh suffered a leg fracture, while Rajput sustained an arm fracture, they added.
The development comes a day after an NIA team from Delhi arrived in Bathinda to investigate the June 22 incident. The team met Dr Garg and sought details from him before visiting the scene of the incident.
According to the police, Pakistani social media influencer Shehzad Bhatti, who has gangster links, had allegedly issued threats to Garg’s family after the attack.
They said some time after the attack, Dr Garg’s wife, Dr Rajni Jindal, also a homeopath, allegedly received a WhatsApp call from a UK-based number displaying the name of Shehzad Bhatti at around 11.50 pm. “As a picture of Bhatti was seen in the WhatsApp caller’s profile picture. We will investigate if he was the Pak-based Shehzad Bhatti or his namesake or anyone else,” DIG Harjeet Singh said.
What happened on June 22
The attack took place at 9.40 pm on June 22 when two masked people arrived on a motorcycle outside Garg’s clinic. According to the police, one of them allegedly threw a lit petrol-filled bottle into the verandah of the clinic, while the other was allegedly making a video of the incident. A two-wheeler, parked in the verandah, and the plants kept there were damaged in the attack.
‘Real picture yet to come’
BJP Bathinda district president Sarup Chand Singla said the caller told Dr Garg’s wife that it was just a trailer and the real picture was yet to come. “He had said that he would call after 5 minutes, but never called. Instead, he had sent a text message saying Hi on June 23 at 5 am on her number, to which she never replied.”
Dr Garg had recently switched political allegiance. Garg, who was earlier the secretary of the trade wing of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), had joined the BJP during the local bodies elections. His wife had also unsuccessfully contested the municipal polls on a BJP ticket.
On June 23, the Bathinda police registered a case under the provisions of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Explosive Substances Act for attempted murder, mischief by explosive substance, endangering life, and causing property damage. The police later invoked Section 113 of BNS, treating the petrol bomb attack that damaged a vehicle as a terrorist act and included Bhatti’s name. The offence carries a punishment ranging from five years’ imprisonment to life imprisonment and a fine not less than Rs 5 lakh.
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