Old ghosts return to Punjab with new faces

The revival of its terror network, its stockpile of smuggled arms and ammunition collected over a year and only now being unveiled poses the most serious threat to peace of Punjab in over a decade.

Admits Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh: ‘‘This is a serious attempt of the Babbar Khalsa at getting reorganised. I have briefed the Prime Minister about the situation and asked for the Centre’s assistance in getting details of smuggling of arms across the border and increased infiltration from places like Ajanala.’’

The Sunday Express toured districts in Punjab, suddenly in the news for the number of BKI operatives picked up in recent police raids, men described, perhaps, over-enthusiastically in local newspapers as ‘‘human bombs’’. And as they stepped out of interrogation chambers to tell their tales, the stark shift in the pattern of BKI’s terror recruitment — from the earlier base of the Akhand Kirtani Jatha — was evident. The arrest of around 60 such BKI operatives from Punjab and Chandigarh (a few were caught in Delhi) within a span of just two months and recovery of over 53 kg of RDX and PETN — besides other arms and ammunition — have sent Punjab police into a frenzy.

Two factors led to the crackdown in Punjab. The first was the arrest of BKI militants for the May bomb blasts in the Liberty and Satyam cinemas in Delhi. These men owed allegiance to the BKI module led by Jaspal Raja. The second was the sensational, and somewhat mysterious, June 7 arrest of Jagtar Singh Hawara — who topped Punjab’s list of ‘‘Wanted’’ militants — along with Jaspal Raja himself.

Their interrogation had a domino effect. Terror recruits were picked up, one by one, from deras and gurdwaras in Sangrur, Patiala, Ludhiana, Ropar, Hoshiarpur and Fatehgarh Sahib.

The BKI operatives The Sunday Express met in police custody confessed to ‘‘chance’’ encounters with Hawara during his nine-year-long stay at Burail Jail (1995-2004). There was 29-year-old Dharminder Singh, a murder accused housed in Burail Jail, who used the prison as a centre for his BA examination.

Dharminder says he often played volleyball with Hawara in jail. Since he did not wear a turban, Hawara gifted him a black head scarf and nicknamed him ‘‘patka.’’ Six years later, Hawara escaped from prison and landed up at the house of Dharminder, who had been released in the interim. ‘‘He promised to get me a job outside India and asked me to survey the dera of religious leader Piara Singh Baniarawala. I was scared but also wanted to go out. So I did what he wanted,’’ he recalled.

Aided by Dharminder and others, Hawara allegedly planted a bomb at Bhaniarawala’s dera in Dhamana village on January 9. But the explosive detonated before time and damaged just the gate. Dharminder’s own interrogation report lists 13 meetings with Hawara.

Among those Hawara recruited for the BKI from the Fatehgarh Sahib area, was Inderjit, 25 and clean shaven. He recalled the 14 days he spent with Hawara in Burail Jail five years ago. Inderjit was picked up in 2000 by the police after a street brawl. ‘‘Hawara roamed around like a free man in prison,’’ he said, ‘‘When he met me after four years, I had no idea of his plans. I just gave him shelter in my house and drove him around.’’

On September 30, 2004, Inderjit was the one who drove Hawara to the house of a Dr Jasbir Singh. The doctor was shot outside his clinic in Chunni village. Hawara told his accomplices he was a police informer.

Along with Inderjit, 28-year-old Randhir Singh is also being interrogated by the Fatehgarh Sahib police. He too first met Hawara in Burail Jail and was later used for a ‘‘sensitive’’ operation — an attempt to assassinate Congress leader Bhajan Lal in an election rally in Sirsa.

Hawara had planned to tie an explosive belt around the waist of a handicapped youth for the attack. But Bhajan Lal cancelled the meeting. ‘‘My job was to push the human bomb inside at the right time but everything was called off,’’ said Randhir. ‘‘We hid the explosives in a farmhouse and went into hiding. One week ago, the police came looking for me.’’

Punjab Police Chief S S Virk said developments over the past two months had given the force some ‘‘anxious’’ moments.‘‘We ourselves were surprised when our raids resulted in over 50 people being picked up,’’ he conceded. ‘‘The saving grace has been that not all these men are terrorists. Many of them turned out to be harbourers and facilitators.’’

(Tomorrow: The disturbing trail of evidence)