Centre to shift Brar residence

The attack,a Home Ministry official said,could have have been planned in Germany on June 6,the anniversary of Operation Bluestar.

The ministry has directed the Intelligence Bureau to review the security of Brar,who returned to Mumbai on Wednesday. Brar has Z-category security,which is now likely to be upgraded to Z-plus,official sources said.

ISI patronage to Sikh terror groups

Earlier,the National Investigation Agency had initiated a probe against Babbar Khalsa International,a prominent pro-Khalistan outfit operating from outside India,after it was found to be raising funds,with the support of Pakistan’s ISI,to revive the movement for Khalistan. The NIA said more than two dozen websites and nearly 50 groups on various social networking sites are collecting funds and recruiting people to revive the movement.

The Home Ministry has of late been noticing a significant spurt in the activities of pro-Khalistan outfits after a lull for about two decades.

“Available inputs indicate the patronage and assistance provided by Pakistan’s ISI to leaders of various Sikh terrorist groups,including BKI,based in Pakistan,” Minister of State for Home Jitendra Singh had said last month. He said interrogation of arrested militants revealed that short-term modules are being run in Pakistan for training gullible Sikh youths from India and abroad.

Intelligence Bureau Director Nehchal Sandhu,too had last month,said that terrorist groups,including those focusing on Punjab and neighbouring states,continued to pose a challenge.