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Ludhiana blast accused had Khalistani links, role of Pak-based entities suspected: DGP
Initial probe reveals that the sacked cop, who was killed in the explosion, had gone to washroom to assemble the bomb
Punjab DGP Siddharth Chattopadhyaya on Saturday said initial investigation into the Ludhiana district court blast case has revealed that Gagandeep Singh, the former state police head constable who was killed in the explosion, had gone to the washroom to assemble the bomb and plant it somewhere.
Addressing the media in Chandigarh, the officiating director general of police said Gagandeep Singh, who was dismissed from service in 2019, was alone in the washroom when the bomb went off and had links with Khalistani elements and narcotic smugglers. The police have found a mobile phone and an internet dongle from the blast site which have been sent for investigation, the DGP said. “We have found strong leads in our probe that pro-Khalistani linked narco terrorists based in Pakistan are behind the blast. We won’t be able to disclose the names till our probe is completed,” he said.
A senior police official familiar with the matter said the probe has strongly pointed towards the role of gangster Harvinder Singh, alias Rinda, who recently got settled in Pakistan and is actively participating in anti-India operations, especially in Punjab. Rinda, a wanted gangster in Punjab, hails from Nanded in Maharashtra, and before fleeing to Pakistan was active in Punjab. A Germany-based operative linked with banned pro-Khalistani outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) is also said to be a key link in the conspiracy, the official said.
Dismissed cop was ‘technically sound’
A resident of Khanna, Gagandeep was dismissed in connection with a drugs-related case. “Gagandeep had Khalistani links and was facing trial in a drug case. His date of hearing in a Ludhiana court was December 24, a day after the blast. He was dismissed after 385gm of heroin was recovered from him in 2019. He was assembling the bomb inside the washroom when it exploded,” the DGP said.
Gagandeep was killed and six others were injured in the blast that occurred in the court complex on Thursday. The Punjab government declared a high alert in the state after the incident.
Asked if RDX was used in the bomb, Chattopadhyaya said it has been sent for forensic examination and the type of explosive used will be known after the report comes. “I cannot say conclusively what the (explosive) material was,” he said.
Replying to another question, the DGP said Gagandeep was “technically sound” when he was serving in the police. “He was very good with computers and technical material,” he said.
Human bomb angle ruled out
Ruling out the human bomb angle, Chattopadhyaya said, “It appears that he went there (washroom) to connect some wires and... to place it (the bomb) somewhere. It was not the concept of a human bomb. The posture in which he was sitting (showed that) he did not go to the washroom to use it. He was using the washroom to assemble it (the bomb). He was alone there.”
The DGP said the police had tracked suspicious movement of some other persons too and efforts are on to ascertain their identities.
Chattopadhyaya said the accused was identified from a tattoo on his right arm during post-mortem. Besides, DNA samples were also collected, he added.
The DGP said preliminary investigations suggest that Gagandeep wanted to create fear and panic on the court premises.
The material used for the explosion is yet to be ascertained as samples have been sent to the forensic lab. “A team of the NSG and that of the state forensic experts were called for a post-blast investigation,” he said.
