Chandigarh blast: Khalistan link emerges as US-based gangster claims responsibility
Police probing claim made on social media under name of Harpreet Singh, alias Happy Passia, who headed terror module that plotted to assassinate retired SP Jaskirat Singh Chahal to avenge police encounters during decade of militancy in Punjab. Chahal used to stay on first floor of house in Sector 10 before shifting out last year.
A day after a blast rocked a house in Sector 10, a social media post under the name of US-based Khalistani gangster Harpreet Singh, alias Happy Passia, claimed responsibility for the explosion, targeted at retired superintendent of police Jaskirat Singh Chahal to avenge encounters during the decade of militancy in Punjab.
Police officials revealed that Chahal had been on the radar of Sikh militants since February 1986, when he served as the station house officer (SHO) in Nakodar.
During his tenure, four Sikh youths from the All India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) were killed in the 1986 Nakodar police firing incident. The youths were part of a protest march condemning the desecration of Guru Granth Sahib at a Nakodar gurdwara on February 4, 1986.
Police sources believe that Pakistan-based Babbar Khalsa International terrorist Harwinder Singh Rinda and his gang were tasked with targeting Chahal after the 1986 incident.
Until two years ago, he had been living on rent on the first floor of the Sector 10 house.
Following the blast at the house, on Thursday, a Facebook post, written in Punjabi, surfaced, purportedly from the account of Khalistani gangster Happy Passia, claiming the blast was in retaliation for the 1986 encounter. Police are working to verify the authenticity of the post.
The targeted property, House Number 575, belongs to KK Malhotra, aged 100, who had retired as the principal of an institute in Himachal Pradesh. Malhotra and his wife escaped unhurt. They had been sitting in the verandah a few minutes before the incident and had gone inside the house just before the blast occurred.
Rinda module plotted retd SP’s assassination in 2023 too
In 2023, the State Special Operation Cell (SSOC) of Punjab Police had arrested four operatives from a terror module operated by US-based Khalistani gangster Harpreet Singh, alias Happy Passia, and backed by Pakistan-based Babbar Khalsa International terrorist Harwinder Singh Rinda, whose involvement was detected in the RPG attack on the Punjab Police intelligence headquarters in Mohali in May 8, 2022.
According to police, in 2023, the module had plotted to assassinate retired SP Chahal to avenge the 1986 incident. The module had reportedly conducted a recce of Chahal’s Sector 10 house in September 2023.
Passia had allegedly struck a deal with an accused, Vikramjit Singh, offering him ₹15 lakh to carry out the target killing. At the time of the arrests, police had recovered a .32-bore pistol and 10 live cartridges. The four operatives were from Amritsar and Batala.
Chandigarh Police have established a connection between this recent attack and the 2023 assassination plot targeting Chahal, and as per their information, it is the same terror group that previously attempted to harm the retired SP.
Though Pakistan Police claimed Rinda died of kidney failure after being hospitalised in Lahore for 15 days in November 2022, the Davinder Bambiha gang claimed responsibility for his killing. Rinda was also wanted in connection with the Ludhiana court blast.
Attackers hired auto from ISBT-43
On Wednesday, the suspects targeted the first floor of the Sector 10 house, mistakenly believing that Chahal still resided there, based on outdated information. According to the police, the attackers had hired an auto-rickshaw from the Sector-43 ISBT.
Kuldeep Singh, the auto-rickshaw driver, was arrested on Wednesday night. During interrogation, Kuldeep revealed that the two suspects travelled via Attawa Chowk and Kisan Bhawan roundabout in Sector 35, before heading towards Matka Chowk in Sector 17. They then proceeded down the Sector 9-10 dividing road and entered Sector 10 in the heart of the city.
After carrying out the blast, they took the same route back till Sector 17, where they got off and disappeared. CCTV footage captured their last known location at Sector 17.
Although Kuldeep claims he was unaware of the suspects’ intentions, police are investigating his role in the incident. Authorities believe the attackers likely used a different route and mode of transportation, possibly a bus, to flee after the attack.
Came via bus from Amritsar
According to police officials familiar with the probe, the suspects travelled to Chandigarh on a bus from Amritsar, boarding it midway rather than directly from Amritsar, and arrived around 5 pm at the Sector 43 ISBT.
From there, they hired an auto-rickshaw for ₹300. One of the suspects carried a bag in which the explosive device was concealed. The driver, Kuldeep, told the police that he was threatened with his life after the attack, which prevented him from raising the alarm.
After the suspects fled, the driver transported some passengers to Mohali before returning to the ISBT, as he lives nearby, and was subsequently arrested.
Explosive device likely contained RDX: Probe
A senior police official claimed that it was a low-pressure blast, and the device did not include splinters or shrapnel, which were typically used in high-explosive devices like grenades to maximise the radius of damage. The explosive device used in the attack likely contained RDX. This is being examined by CFSL.
Police have invoked Sections 13 and 16 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, primarily meant to combat terror, in the FIR, along with Section 3, 4, 5 and 6 Explosive Substances Act, and Sections 109, 351 (2), 333 and 61 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Multiple agencies, including the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Intelligence Bureau (IB), and Special Task Forces from Punjab and Haryana, have joined the investigation.
A senior police official confirmed that they had gathered significant leads and had shortlisted several suspects from the Punjab and Haryana regions. The suspects’ identities are being cross-verified with CCTV footage, and searches were underway in border districts of Punjab.
Police have also announced a reward of ₹2 lakh for anyone providing information leading to the arrest of the two suspects. “Information can be given to the police control room number 0172-2749194 or 112 and WhatsApp number 9465-121-000,” the police said in a statement.