Two days after a bomb blast took place at the Ludhiana Sessions Court, it has now come to light that the bomb handler was a former Punjab police officer.
As per reports, the accused has been identified as one Gagandeep Singh. He was caught with 785 grams of heroin along with 2 other aides in August 2019. At that time, Singh was serving as a police constable at the Sadar police station in Khanna city in the Ludhiana district of Punjab. After his arrest, he was dismissed from service. He was released from prison in September 2021.
Gagandeep Singh’s identity was ascertained by the investigators through his mobile phone, which was found at the site of the blast. Moreover, he had a tattoo of khanda (religious symbol) on his body that further helped in discovering his identity.
Although the cops are probing the motive, it has come to light that Singh’s case was to be heard in the Ludhiana Sessions Court on Friday (December 24). It must be mentioned that Gagandeep had succumbed to injuries while carrying out the blast at the court complex.
Following the attack, a high-level meeting was organised by Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla along with Intelligence Bureau Director Arvind Kumar, BSF Director General Pankaj Singh, and NIA Chief Kuldeep Singh.
Khalistani outfit behind Ludhiana court blast
On December 23, an explosion took place inside the court complex in Ludhiana, Punjab. One individual lost his life, while 5 others were injured. According to a report in The Tribune, the blast occurred in a toilet on the third floor at around 12:25 PM.
The reports suggest that the roof and walls of the toilet were damaged by the impact of the blast. Videos shared on social media show smoke coming out of the 5-storey building. The district court is located in the same campus where the District Commissioner’s office is located in the heart of Ludhiana city. Khalistani terror outfit Babbar Khalsa is said to be the mastermind of the bomb blast, reported News18 citing sources in the Intelligence agency. The organisation is active in Canada, the UK, Germany, and some parts of India.
As per the report, the deadly attack was carried out by Babbar Khalsa chief Wadhawa Singh in collusion with gangster Harvinder Singh (also known as Rinda Singh). The latter had escaped to the neighbouring country of Pakistan and had recruited local gangsters to carry out the blast. The cops are investigating the role of the Lahore-based Khalistan organisation, based on the inputs of Intelligence reports.
