Foreign-based handlers used social media to radicalise Punjab youth, says NIA

Files chargesheet against 11 in BKI-linked RPG attack on Punjab police station

October 5, 2025 08:44 PM IST

2 min read

The chargesheet was filed before the NIA Special Court, Mohali, while 11 other identified accused remain absconding.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a chargesheet against 11 arrested accused in connection with the Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) terror attack on the Qila Lal Singh police station in Batala district, Punjab. The attack, carried out in April 2025, was allegedly orchestrated by the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) group.

According to the NIA, the accused have been charged under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), Arms Act, and Explosive Substances Act. The chargesheet was filed before the NIA Special Court, Mohali, while 11 other identified accused remain absconding.

Foreign-based BKI handlers Harpreet Singh, alias Happy Passia, Mannu Agwan, and Gurpreet Singh, alias Gopi Navasherian, had publicly claimed responsibility for the attack, which took place late on April 6 this year. The agency said the strike was carried out with active assistance from overseas operatives to “spread terror and further the anti-India agenda”.

An NIA spokesperson stated that the investigation revealed a transnational conspiracy, directed by foreign-based terrorist operatives, who exploited family ties and social vulnerabilities to recruit young individuals from Punjab. “Social media platforms were extensively used to radicalise and mislead vulnerable youth into joining terror networks,” the agency noted.

The NIA, which took over the probe from the Punjab Police in May 2025, is continuing its investigation under Section 193(9) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) to trace the absconders and identify other conspirators involved in the attack.

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