Applause-hungry UT cops foiled our raids — Haryana DGP

CHANDIGARH, July 7: Haryana Police today accused Chandigarh Police of "botching" investigations into the Sector 34 bomb explosi...

CHANDIGARH, July 7: Haryana Police today accused Chandigarh Police of "botching" investigations into the Sector 34 bomb explosion by prematurely disclosing the arrest of three suspects.

Haryana Police officials said the three suspects – Sher Singh, Satnam Singh and Gurbaksh Singh – were arrested by the Panipat Police on July 5, but the Chandigarh Police rushed to the press "to take credit for the breakthrough".

The state police said that the Panipat police wanted to trace the suppliers of explosives and other associates of the suspects, but their plans were affected by release of information about the arrest of Sher Singh and escape of the main suspect, Ratandeep Singh alias Raman, a former hardcore terrorist of the Khalistan Commando Force (Panjwar). Ratandeep Singh escaped after firing at the raiding police party.

Story continues below this ad

Because of the premature disclosure, 15 raids conducted at the instance of the three suspects proved futile, they pointed out.

Talking to newspersons, Director General of Haryana Police A. S. Bhatotia claimed to have worked out bomb blasts and seizures of deadly RDX in Delhi, Haryana and Chandigarh with the arrest of the three alleged activists of KCF. While the three had been remanded to police custody until July 12, Ratandeep and his wife Balwinder Kaur are still at large.

He said that Ratandeep Singh and his wife managed to escape when a police party raided the house of Sher Singh in village Rohad in Jind on July 3. Sher Singh and his brother too managed to escape but were nabbed two days later.

The police claim to have recovered 10 pencil timers, one Mauser magazine and 15 rounds from Sher Singh’s home.