The FIR against Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) chief Jagtar Singh Tara in the infamous Burail jail break case still stands under sections of sedition and waging war against the state. This was stated by the UT police before additional district and sessions judge Shalini S Nagpal on Saturday during the hearing of an appeal challenging dismissal of UT police's application seeking custodial interrogation.
The court has now issued notice to Tara, alleged assassin of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh and currently lodged in Burail jail, through his counsel AS Chahal for February 23 when the latter would file a reply to the appeal.
Judicial magistrate Harpreet Kaur on February 17, while dismissing the application of UT police seeking 14 days police remand, had granted bail to Tara and sent him to judicial custody after he failed to furnish bail bonds. Aggrieved over the decision of the court declining them custodial interrogation of Tara arrested after nearly 11 years of the sensational Burail jail break, police challenged the order.
"The FIR against Tara still stands under various sections of sedition as well as waging war against the state. He has been arrested for the first time ever since he escaped from Burail jail about 11 years back. Therefore, the UT police should be granted custodial interrogation for further investigation," argued public prosecutor Manu Kakkar, while pressing for Tara's custodial interrogation.
Tara, facing trial in Beant Singh's assassination, had escaped after digging an around 109 feet-long tunnel inside the jail in January 2004, along with three other people. Two of them - Jagtar Singh Hawara and Paramjeet Singh Bheroa - have been arrested, while the third, Dev Singh alias Devi, who was not associated with the assassination but helped them in the escape plan, is at large. Hawara and Bheora have since been convicted in the assassination case, while Tara's trial is going on.
{{/usCountry}}Tara, facing trial in Beant Singh's assassination, had escaped after digging an around 109 feet-long tunnel inside the jail in January 2004, along with three other people. Two of them - Jagtar Singh Hawara and Paramjeet Singh Bheroa - have been arrested, while the third, Dev Singh alias Devi, who was not associated with the assassination but helped them in the escape plan, is at large. Hawara and Bheora have since been convicted in the assassination case, while Tara's trial is going on.
{{/usCountry}}Police claim Tara was in touch with various terrorist outfits and hence, they wanted to know his future plans, besides the location of Dev Singh, who is believed to be in Pakistan.
Police also want to question him about Gurvinder Singh alias Goldy, who too was declared proclaimed offender in the jail break case. As per reports, Goldy is in Germany. Tara was planning to move to Germany before he was arrested from Thailand in January.
Police claim Tara had met a person named Chaudhary in Pakistan while he was living there as Gurmeet, and the latter had provided him RDX for terrorist activities. They say Tara after his escape stayed in various countries under fictitious identities and even procured visas as well as passports on these fake identifies.