THE NIA has filed a chargesheet against six people, including Pakistan-based proscribed Khalistani operative Lakhbir Singh Rode, in connection with September 15, 2021 blast at a market in Jalalabad, Punjab. The blast led to the death of the bomb-planter, Binder Singh.
“Investigation has revealed the conspiracy of Pakistan-based terrorist Lakhbir Singh Rode, self-styled chief of International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF), and his associates to cause multiple explosions at crowded places in Punjab and to effect largescale casualties and strike terror in the minds of people,” the NIA said.
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According to the agency, on Rode’s directions, another Pakistan-based narco-terror operative Habib Khan alias Doctor had radicalised and recruited Balwinder Singh and Sukhwinder Singh and motivated them to plant bombs using pre-assembled Improvised Explosive Devices (tiffin bombs) smuggled along with heroin from across the border.
“Prior to the explosion that occurred in Jalalabad, this terrorist gang had also set ablaze a car and a few shops in Ferozpur city,” the NIA said. According to the NIA, on September 15 last year, Binder Singh and Sukhwinder Singh had conducted reconnaissance of a crowded market in Jalalabad town for carrying out explosion.
“While Binder Singh was trying to retrieve the motorcycle along with the planted tiffin bomb, as it had not exploded at the designated time, he was killed on the spot,” the NIA said.
Those chargesheeted have been identified as Sukhwinder Singh, Parveen Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Ranjit Singh, Habib Khan (Pakistani National) and Lakhbir Singh Rode. They have been slapped with Sections 3, 4, 5 & 6 of Explosive Substances Act; Sections 21B, 27A & 29 of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act; Sections 16, 17, 18, 18B, 20, 38 & 39 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Section 120 B of Indian Penal Code. The chargesheet was filed before the NIA Special Court, SAS Nagar, Punjab. This is the second chargesheet the NIA has filed against Rode this month.