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Key conspirator of Ferozepur RSS activist’s murder held after police encounter
Gursimran Singh shot in the leg when he fired at police team and tried to flee in early morning encounter at naka (checkpoint) near Sodhe Wala village on Ferozepur-Mallanwala road.
Gursimran Singh, alias Jatin Kali, who masterminded the murder of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) activist Naveen Arora on November 15, was arrested after a police encounter in Ferozepur on Thursday.
Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Bhupinder Singh Sidhu said that the police team acted on a tip-off and set up a naka (checkpoint) near Sodhe Wala village on the Ferozepur-Mallanwala road, 4km from the town.
During the early morning operation, the motorcycle-borne accused was intercepted, but instead of stopping he tried to flee. A chase ensued during which Jatin Kali opened fire on the police team, prompting retaliatory action.
“The accused fired two rounds that struck the police vehicle, including its windscreen. The team had a narrow escape,” SSP Sidhu said, adding that the biker was injured in the exchange and later admitted to the local civil hospital with bullet injuries in the leg.
His weapon was recovered and the motorcycle impounded.
The police are yet to state the motive behind the killing of the 32-year-old third-generation RSS activist around 7pm on Saturday.
The encounter came a day after the police arrested two of the five men involved in plotting and executing the killing. A search is on for two accused, including Badal, who shot Naveen in the head.
Naveen, the son of RSS activist and social worker Baldev Raj Arora and grandson of RSS leader Dina Nath, was riding a motorcycle when the accused, who were on foot, stopped him midway and fired at him. He was returning from his shop in the main bazaar to his house near Sadhu Chand Chowk when the incident occurred. He was rushed to a nearby hospital by family members, but was declared brought dead.
On Wednesday, SSP Sidhu said the conspiracy was hatched on November 13 during the birthday party of local youth Kanav at Basti Bhatian Wali. It was there, the SSP said, that Jatin Kali masterminded the plan and offered ₹1 lakh to Kanav, Badal, Harsh and another suspect whose identity the police have withheld to prevent any compromise to the probe. Before the murder, the accused travelled to Uttar Pradesh to procure weapons. They closely tracked Naveen’s routine. “To ensure a foolproof attack, two teams were formed — one of Kanav and Harsh, and the other of Badal and his accomplice — so that if Naveen altered his route to return home, the second team could execute the hit,” the SSP said.
Last Saturday, Badal and his accomplice fired at Naveen, while Jatin arrived moments later in an auto-rickshaw and took all four accused to Kanav’s house from where they fled.
All five have been booked under Sections 103 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Sections 25, 27, 54, and 59 of the Arms Act.
A little known pro-Khalistan outfit, Sher-e-Punjab Brigade, had taken responsibility for the killing by issuing a statement on social media on Monday.
