Two ‘radicals’ held in Batala

Ravi Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Batala, June 2

The police on Saturday arrested two suspected Sikh radicals, operating allegedly at the behest of their foreign handlers, including Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, legal adviser to Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), a Canada-based organisation.

The arrests of Dharminder Singh, alias Commando Singh, and Kirpal Singh that came days before the June 6 anniversary of Operation Blue Star were announced by IG (Border) Surinder Pal Singh Parmar and Batala SSP Opinderjit Singh Ghuman at a joint press conference.

The IG said the SFJ had been spearheading the separatist ‘Sikh referendum-2020’. “The organisation has been trying to enlist the support of radicals and gangsters for the referendum aiming at liberating Punjab from the Indian Government,” said Parmar.

The radicals were arrested from Dharminder’s house in Harpura Dhandoi village of Batala district.

They were also involved in “torching liquor vends” at the village on May 31, he said. Apart from Pannun, the other foreign handlers had been identified as Paramjit Singh Pamma and Maan Singh (UK) and Deep Kaur (Malaysia), the IG said. Both Kirpal and Dharminder admitted that their handlers got in touch with them through social networking sites and were paid money to carry out secessionist activities like spray painting ‘Sikh referendum’ posters and also setting afire liquor vends and other government properties ahead of the Blue Star anniversary.

Dharminder Singh also had a stint with the Territorial Army and before he left it in January 2016, he had become well-trained in handling firearms, which was part of his training regime.

Several spray paint bottles, posters of ‘Sikh referendum’ and two revolvers were recovered from the duo. A case under Sections 307, 438, 427, 148 and 149 of the IPC has been registered at the Rangar Nangal police station.

A Qadian resident, Ravinder Singh Raju, is also being questioned for his links with the radicals. The officials said they would divulge the details of Raju’s involvement later. During interrogation, it was revealed that Pannun had also asked the duo to put up referendum posters during the recently held IPL matches in Mohali.

The IG said: “The arrests fly in the face of repeated assertions by Pannun and others that they were not funding any terror activities in Punjab.”