Detonation attempt on Punjab railway track: Patiala police bust pro-Khalistani module, arrest 4 under stringent UAPA

The person who died on the tracks was identified as Jagrup Singh of Panjwarh village in Tarn Taran. The police said the accused had multiple criminal cases registered against them.

On Tuesday morning, the police detained Jagrup’s younger brother, Satnam Singh, from his house in Panjwarh village of Tarn Taran district for interrogation. Jagrup was married and had two minor daughters.

“Pardeep Singh Khalsa was the kingpin of the module. He was close to a Malaysia-based pro-Khalistani terrorist and maintained links with Pakistan-based arms suppliers. He used to send radicalised youth to Malaysia for terror training and then assign them tasks of terror activities. He had also formed a radical organisation named ‘Chalda Vaheer Chakarwarti, Attariye’,” DIG Chahal said.

The police said they recovered a hand grenade, two .30 bore pistols along with ammunition, sophisticated communication devices intended for use in further detonations, and laptops used to communicate with handlers based abroad.

“During initial interrogation, it has come to light that the accused were responsible for carrying out the low-intensity IED blast on the main line near Shambhu railway station on Monday night. They were planning further attacks on public infrastructure and properties,” the DIG added.

A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered at Kotwali Patiala police station under stringent provisions, including Section 111 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (organised crime), sections 3, 4 and 5 of the Explosive Substances Act, Section 25 of the Arms Act, and sections 13, 16, 18 and 20 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), highlighting the seriousness of the case.

The police claimed the case was solved within a record 12 hours.

The Patiala police said they recovered a hand grenade, two .30 bore pistols along with ammunition, sophisticated communication devices, and laptops allegedly used to communicate with handlers based abroad. (Express Photo)

Loco pilot sounded alert

The low-intensity blast on the Rajpura–Ambala stretch of the railway track near Shambhu, part of a key freight corridor, was reported on Monday night. The incident occurred between 8.30 pm and 8.45 pm when a goods train was passing through the track.

According to officials, the loco pilot felt an impact as the train crossed the spot but the train did not sustain any damage. The driver immediately alerted railway authorities, following which police teams rushed to the site.

A body was found on the tracks at the scene, leading investigators to suspect that the deceased was the person attempting to plant or fix the detonator when it exploded prematurely.

Police sources said the deceased was wearing attire typically associated with Nihang Sikhs. Further inputs suggested that he had been involved in campaigning during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Khadoor Sahib in support of MP Amritpal Singh, who is currently lodged in Dibrugarh jail since April 2023.

‘No direct Pakistan angle so far’

Shashi Prabha Dwivedi, Special DGP, Railways, visited the site on Tuesday and highlighted the vulnerability of the freight corridor. “This is the second such incident on the freight corridor in less than four months. A similar blast had occurred near Sirhind railway station earlier, but at that time, we did not get any clue, as there are no CCTV cameras on the stretch. We will be taking up the issue with higher authorities to install surveillance on this corridor,” she said.

Dwivedi added that crucial evidence had been recovered in the present case. “We have found a body, a SIM card, and a motorcycle. After identifying the person, it was found that he had parked the motorcycle in Amritsar before travelling via train or bus to Sirhind and then moving towards Rajpura. A ticket was also recovered from his pocket,” she said.