News Analysis India

Tag: Ludhiana Court Blast

  • Pro-Khalistan terrorist with ISI links detained in Germany in connection with Ludhiana bomb blast

    Express News Service

    CHANDIGARH: A pro-Khalistan terrorist named Jaswinder Singh Multani, who had links with Pakistan-based Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), has been detained in Germany in connection with the Ludhiana bomb blast.

    Sources said the dongle that was recovered by the Punjab Police and National Investigation Agency (NIA) from the blast site in Ludhiana was being used by the deceased suspect Gagandeep Singh, a dismissed head constable of Punjab Police. Now it has come to light that the dongle was connected to the mobile phone and through that, thirteen international phone calls were made, mainly to Pakistan, Dubai and Malaysia.  

    ALSO READ: Ludhiana court bomber may have had Pakistan-based terror unit connections

    “His connection with 45-year old Jaswinder Singh Multani, a Germany-based pro-Khalistan terrorist with links to ISI of Pakistan and banned organization Sikhs for Justice, has been revealed. Multani is believed to be a close associate of SFJ founder Gurpatwant Singh Pannu,’’ said a senior police officer.

    The Punjab Police had relayed the inputs on Multani to the central agencies, after which the information was shared with German authorities and a request was sent to arrest him. He has thus been detained by the Federal Police in Germany.

    Multani has allegedly played a crucial role in the incident as it was reportedly on his pretext that the explosives were given to Gagandeep for the blast. According to sources, Multani was also planning to send explosive materials from Pakistan to carry out terrorist activities in Punjab.

    Sources also shared that Multani had allegedly planned to kill prominent Punjab farmer leader Balbir Singh Rajewal at the Singhu border during the farmers’ protest. For that, he had allegedly radicalised Jeevan Singh but Singh was tracked by the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Delhi Police and was caught in Maharashtra. He was later handed over to the Punjab Police.

    Singh was in contact with Multani and this fact came to light when Singh’s phone was scanned by the agencies.

    A few cases have been registered against Multani in Ferozpur, Amritsar and Taran Taran districts of Punjab. Sources said he had been under the scanner for planning to target Delhi and Mumbai. 

  • Shah briefed on Ludhiana court blast; MHA seeks report from Punjab government

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah was briefed about a blast in Ludhiana on Thursday that killed a person and injured six others, and the overall situation in Punjab, officials said.

    Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla briefed Shah about the blast inside the Ludhiana district court complex and the overall law-and-order situation in Punjab.

    The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has sought a detailed report on the blast from the Punjab government, an official said.

    In a communication, the MHA asked the state government to send the report as early as possible.

    The MHA also asked the state government to inform it about the findings of the initial probe and who could possibly be involved in the explosion, the official said.

    A team of the National Security Guard (NSG) visited the blast site for a forensic analysis.

    Shah is also believed to have spoken to Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi about the blast and the prevailing law-and-order situation in the state.

    One of the walls in the court complex got damaged and the windows of vehicles parked on the premises were shattered due to the blast that took place on the second floor of the complex.

    Ludhiana Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said the area has been sealed and forensic teams will collect samples from the blast site.