KZF behind blast, says Punjab DGP

JALANDHAR, Nov 13 (PTI) — Punjab police chief Sarabjit Singh today said Khalistan Zindabad Force terrorists were suspected behind the bomb which blew up a coach of the Jammu-Delhi Pooja Express on Thursday and revealed that it was planted in Jammu.

"The bomb, containing a high-powered explosive, probably RDX, was planted in Jammu in a crate of apples and the fact that it was deliberately planted in a coach carrying Army jawans showed that the terrorists wanted to send a sinister message to the security forces," the Director-General of Police said here today.

He said preliminary investigations revealed that one to 2 kg of explosive was used in the blast which claimed 14 lives.

"We cannot be absolutely sure, but the finger of suspicion points to the Khalistan Zindabad Force headed by Ranjit Singh Neeta who was in Pakistan till recently but may have crossed over into India," he said.

The DGP said the KZF already had its base in Gurdaspur and the police had arrested a prominent terrorist of the force, Atarjit Singh, a year ago.

He said this particular outfit comprised largely of Jammu based Sikhs and "the links of the KZF with Kashmiri terrorists were a natural corollary of this fact".