Punjab Timeline - 2013

Date

Incidents

January 1

Police arrested five persons for pasting anti-national posters at many places in Bhikhi and Budhlada towns of Mansa District.

BSF recovered FICN with a face value of INR 1.2 million, along with 11 kilograms of heroin near Border Outpost Khalra in Amarkot sector of Ferozepur District.

Following the killing of two Indian soldiers by Pakistani troops, the BSF said it was on high alert along the border in Punjab.

BSF seized over FICN with a face value of INR 46,00,000, 23 weapons, 33 magazines and 264 rounds in 2012 along the Indo-Pak border in the state.

ISI has reportedly opened two new centres to train a large number of youngsters on terrorism just opposite the Jaisalmer-Ganganagar area along the IB. Both the centres are managed by ISI officials and JeM militants.

There has been information that a new alliance has been made between JeM and Babbar Khalsa at Rahim Yar Khan District of Punjab Province in Pakistan.

Pakistan Rangers opened unprovoked fire targeting a patrolling party of BSF at the border observation post at Raja Mohattam area along IB in Ferozepur sector (Ferozepur Border) of Ferozepur District.

India has formally asked US Justice Department for the extradition of BKI terrorist Balwinder Singh Possi.

Punjab Police is also planning to file for the extradition of another BKI terrorist Gurnam Singh alias Neka from the US.

Police arrested Gurdev Singh, along FICN with a face value of INR 3,00,000 and heroin worth INR 25 million.

Four terrorists of KLF were produced in a Patiala court in connection with recovery of a bomb from near Nabha LPG bottling plant (Patiala District) in January 2010.

BSF arrested Bhupinder Singh from Dera Baba Nanak Sector of Gurdaspur District and recovered one country made Pakistani pistol, two magazines, 15 rounds of ammunition, along with15 kilogram heroin valued at around INR 750 million in the international market.

BSF has set up a high-level board for extensive scanning of the IB to detect existence of underground passages to facilitate militancy in India.

Additional Sessions Judge Sanjeev Berry sentenced BKI militant Balwant Singh Rajoana, convicted for the assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, to 10-year rigorous imprisonment (RI) and a fine of INR 10,000 in a case pertaining to recovery of explosives.

Troopers of the BSF recovered FICN with face value of INR 1.38 million in Mahwa area of India-Pakistan border in Amritsar sector (Amritsar District).

BSF recovered FICN amounting to around INR 750,000 from the Amritsar sector (Amritsar District) of International Border.

A resident of Jaisalmer, identified as Sumer Khan, was arrested by joint team of Pokhran Police and CID, Jodhpur zone from his residence in Karmo ki Dhani in Pokhran area of Jaisalmer District for sending strategic information to Pakistan's ISI via emails and mobile calls for the past three years. Sources said that Sumer had gone to Pakistan at least thrice.

Sources in Punjab Police said that attempts are being made by LeT to reignite terrorism in Punjab and carry out bomb explosions with the help of Sikh militants based abroad.

Narain Singh Chaura, a BKI militant who was on run since May 2010, was arrested from village Jalalabad of Tarn Taran District bordering Pakistan. Based on his inputs, Punjab Police further arrested two of his accomplice, identified as Sukhwant Singh and Sukhdev Singh arrested from different places in Amritsar District and recovered arms and ammunition. Chaura was wanted in at least two dozen cases related to militancy.

Police recovered arms and ammunition, including two German MP5 guns, one .32 bore revolver and 200 live cartridges from Tarn Taran District on the basis of information provided by BKI militant Narain Singh Chaura.

Punjab Police neutralized a terror module by arresting three people, including the mother and sister of US-based KZF terrorist Balwinder Singh Possi. The third arrested person, Ranjit Singh Rana, is from Nurpur Jattan village in Hoshiarpur District.

Two people, including an alleged militant of Bhindranwale Tigers Force (BTF) Kulbir Singh Assandh, were arrested by Punjab Police from near Sirhind of Fatehgarh Sahib District in connection with the Zirakpur drug haul case (February, 2013).

An un-named senior official of MHA stated, "Operatives based in the UK, Germany and North America, who are members of the BKI and its front organisations, are transferring huge amounts of monetary resources to BKI sleeper cells in Punjab and other places". Besides the ISI of Pakistan, it has close ties with the terror network of Dawood Ibrahim.

Punjab Government before the Supreme Court stated, "Security environment in the state of Punjab continues to be problematic" The statement was made by Secretary (Home) Samir Kumar while justifying deployment of a large number of state Police personnel for VVIP security.

Supreme Court declined to commute the death sentence of KLF terrorist Devender Pal Singh Bhullar, found guilty of killing nine and injuring 17 others in Delhi in a bomb attack on September 11, 1993.

BSF recovered FICN worth nearly INR 487,000 along with 18 kilogram of heroin, valued at around INR 900 million in the international market, in Tarn Taran District, near Indo-Pak border.

According to the NIA documents, a UK-based BKI operative, Balbir Singh Bains, had sent INR 10.1 million through Western Union to Rajoana's sister Kamaldeep Kaur between March 21 and April 3, 2012 for revival of terrorism in Punjab.

April 22

A Chandigarh Court deferred the Burail Jail break (intervening night of January 21-22, 2004) Case till August 12, 2013. The case involves BKI terrorist Paramjit Singh Bheora, who is also convicted in the then Chief Minister Beant Singh's assassination case.

A former terrorist involved in the 1995 serial blasts and a bank robber accompanying him were arrested near the Sonipat (Sonipat District) border. Kulvinderjeet Singh alias Khalsa, who pleaded guilty in the blasts case and Baljinder Singh alias Badshah had allegedly committed bank robberies in Delhi a few years ago. Two sophisticated pistols, a spent shell, a magazine and 16 live cartridges were recovered from the accused.

Security has been increased in Punjab following reports of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal being in the hit-list of terror group LeT. LeT 'area commander' Karim Ansari in a letter to Station Master Haridwar (Haridwar District in Uttarakhand) and DRM Ferozepur (Ferozepur District in Punjab) has threatened retaliatory bomb attacks on May 9 and 10, 2013.

Punjab Police have seized INR 5.4 lakh in FICN and arrested one person, identified as Wes Abdul Mehmood, a resident of West Bengal, from an undisclosed location.