Chandigarh : Narain Singh Chaura, the man who attempted to shoot former Punjab deputy chief minister and senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Sukhbir Singh Badal at the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar on Wednesday, has been on the radar of central intelligence agencies over multiple terror-related cases and was declared the mastermind of the sensational Burail jailbreak in Chandigarh in 2004.
Narain Singh Chaura, the man who attempted to shoot former Punjab deputy chief minister and senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Sukhbir Singh Badal at the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar on Wednesday, has been on the radar of central intelligence agencies over multiple terror-related cases and was declared the mastermind of the sensational Burail jailbreak in Chandigarh in 2004.
A native of Chaura, a village near the India-Pakistan border in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district, the 68-year-old long-time militant is the “only known” member of the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) — a Sikh militant outfit — living in India, police officers said. He was out on bail since 2018 in an Arms Act case.
Around a month back, Chaura posted on his Facebook page: “The Sikh community has politically rejected the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) due to its grave misdeeds, and now the party is using the Akal Takht as a mean to revive its reputation. This party is an enemy of the Panth and no longer has the right to lead the Sikh community in the political arena. The Panth has already expressed its stance by rejecting this party from the political domain… Any attempt to absolve them of their wrongdoings through symbolic punishments will not be accepted by the Khalsa Panth.”
Questioning “the lack of justice” in the sacrilege matters, Chaura in another post justified murders of some accused or suspects in the sacrilege cases.
According to a Punjab Police dossier, Chaura crossed over to Pakistan after Operation Bluestar in June 1984, and was instrumental in smuggling large consignments of weapons and explosives into Punjab during the initial phase of militancy in the border state.
During his stay in Pakistan, Chaura, who is a postgraduate in political science, allegedly authored a book on guerrilla warfare and “seditious” literature. He was initially affiliated with radical outfit Akal Federation, but kept shifting groups during his time in Pakistan. He joined the Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) and later founded the Khalistan Liberation Army, a militant outfit, and remained its self-styled chief.
In recent times, officers said, Chaura was associated with Dal Khalsa and was involved in the pro-Khalistan activities of the group.
Considered a “one man show” nowadays, Chaura would often meet people in routine and was often seen visiting media houses and mingling with ordinary folks even at the Golden Temple in routine.
Since 1992, Chaura reportedly faced 25 cases related to terror and Arms Act, but got acquittal in 18 of them due of lack of evidence. A case registered against him under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act is still pending in the court, the dossier said.
In 2004, Chaura was instrumental in the escape of Babbar Khalsa outfit terrorists Jagtar Singh Hawara, Paramjit Singh Bheora and their accomplices from Burail jail in Chandigarh. He threw a big iron chain on the main electricity wires outside jail to disrupt power inside the jail while the inmates escaped by digging a tunnel, according to the police.
All those escaped in the jailbreak were facing trial for the assassination of then Punjab chief minister Beant Singh on August 31, 1995.
The Chandigarh Police named Chaura as mastermind in the jailbreak case and seized a pistol and five cartridges from him near the prison’s boundary wall.
He was granted bail in 2010 and after he stopped appearing before the court, he was declared a proclaimed offender in October the next year. Around that time, Chaura made his hideout in Uttar Pradesh. Police officers said he used to enter Punjab at dawn on a motorcycle and leave the state at dusk after meeting his modules. He had procured a driving licence on the fake name of Randheer Singh, officers said.
“The hardcore militant never carried a cell phone and would talk to his contacts using the public telephone booth or other’s cell phones,” an officer familiar with the investigation said.
Chaura was arrested in 2013 from Tarn Taran in an operation involving central agencies. “Chaura was on the radar of central intelligence agencies since he came out on bail. The agencies kept the police updated about his movement and activities,” a security officer said, requesting anonymity.
A senior intelligence officer said that during his interrogation in a previous case, Chaura had admitted that he was planning to kill Sukhbir’s father and former Punjab CM, Parkash Singh Badal, and former state DGP Sumedh Singh Saini.
After the failed assassination attempt on Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Sukhbir Badal on Wednesday, Chaura, who was a religious preacher before joining militancy, was taken away by security officials and placed under arrest.
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