Eleven persons were on Sunday arrested in connection with the horrendous attack on a police party at the vegetable market in Patiala this morning, in which an ASI’s hand was cut off by a group of Nihangs.The accused, including a woman, were nabbed after the Patiala Police Party led by Jatinder Aulakh IG Patiala Range and Mandeep Sidhu, SSP Patiala were fired upon from inside the Nihang Dera Complex which also houses Khichdi Sahib Gurudwara. The operation followed several hours of stand-off and many rounds of appeals and negotiations led by SSP Patiala with the Dera Head Baba Balwinder Singh to surrender with their weapons and swords but the Nihangs refused to surrender. One Nihang, Nirbhav Singh, suffered a injury in the incident was immediately removed to Patiala Hospital.The accused included the five persons involved in the brutal attack on the Punjab Police team posted at the vegetable market in Sanaur early on Sunday morning. The had crashed through a series of barricades and attacked the police personnel who inquired about their curfew passes, said DGP Dinkar Gupta, adding that Baba Balwinder Singh, the Nihang Head, was the main perpetrator of the attack on the police party at the Patiala Sabzi Mandi this morning. He came to the market with four other persons, in a Tata Zenon vehicle.Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has strongly condemned the attack and warned that anyone violating the curfew, imposed in the state since March 23 to check the spread of COVID-19 pandemic, would be strictly dealt with. The police personnel were risking their lives inspite of the pandemic to save the people of Punjab and any attack on them would not be tolerated, he warned. He directed the DGP to come down heavily on those trying to disturb the law and order of the state at this difficult time.
DGP Dinkar Gupta said a huge cache of weapons as wells as hand held weapons, such as barchhe and kirpans, and some used cartridges were seized from the accused, in addition to two petrol bombs and LPG cylinders, 5 bags of poppy husk mixed with sulpha, other drugs in commercial quantity and Rs 39 lakhs in cash. Some bottles with chemical substances were also found inside the premises.ASI Harjit Singh (2155), whose hand was reportedly cut off with a sword during the attack at the vegetable mandi, is undergoing a plastic surgery at PGI Chandigarh for suturing back his hand, where he was rushed after the incident, said the DGP. Besides ASI Harjeet Singh, whose left hand got severedmmm, three other police personnel were injured in the incident. Inspector Bikkar Singh (10PR) SHO Sadar Patiala, suffered sharp weapon injuries on his left arm, leg and back, ASI Raj Singh (1415) was inflicted a sharp weapon injury on his left leg, and ASI Raghbir singh (1445) had got blunt injuries on his body. In addition, a Mandi Board official, AR Yadwinder Singh, suffered some minor injuries in this attack.Giving details of the entire incident, Gupta said the accused had set up morchas inside the Dera Complex and had placed LPG cylinders along the Dera perimeter and were getting ready to set-off blasts to cause injuries to the police party, which was surrounded by the police party that chased them. Despite repeated announcements from the public address system, they refused to surrender and, instead, abused the police and threatened them with serious consequences if they tried to come closer.The police then persuaded the Sarpanch and some villagers to go in and persuade the men to come out but they failed. Soon thereafter, the police party heard loud shouts and noises from inside the gurdwara premises, suggesting that some innocent people and hostages within might have got caught in the trouble, according to the DGP.
A Patiala Police team led by IG Patiala and SSP Patiala alongwith a team of the Special Operations Group (SOG), led by ADGP Rakesh Chandra, then moved into the premises, followed to flush out the rogue band of Nihang criminals. A few shots were fired by the accused at the police personnel before they were nabbed, said the DGP, adding that entire operation was handled delicately so that the maryada and sanctum sanctorum of the Gurdwara Sahib was not disturbed in any manner.Two separate cases have been registered against the accused. The first has been registered for the incident at Sabzi Mandi, Sanaur Road, Patiala at PS Sadar Patiala for Attempt to Murder, grievous hurt, rioting, attack on public servant under the IPC, and also under provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005. FIR No 70 dt 12.4.20 u/s 307, 323, 324, 326, 353, 186, 332, 335, 148, IPC, along with 188 and 51 DMA Act 2005 have been registered at PS Sadar Patiala against Balwinder Singh, Jagmeet Singh, Bant Singh and Nirbhav Singh.The second case has been registered against 11 persons, including the woman, at PS Passiana, Patiala (FIR no 45 dt 12/04/2020) for Attempt to murder, Attack on Police Party, 54 DMA Act 2005, Sections 3,4 Explosives Act, sections 13,16,18,20 of UAPA Act 1967, Sections 25,54,59 Arms Act.Another case under NDPS Act has also registered for recovery of 5-6 bags of Poppy Husk and other drugs from Khichri Sahib Complex, Balbera, where the Nihangs were living. Their property will also be attached on account of the recovery of commercial quantity of drugs.
The complete list of the accused is as follows:
1) Bant Singh @ Kala s/o Ajaib Singh R/ o Village Allowal PS civil line patiala Age about - 50 years
2) Jagmeet Singh S/o Balwinder Singh R/O Village Amargarh PS Amargarh dist. Sangrur -22 years
3) Balwinder Singh s/o Bhagh Singh R/O Village Karhali PS Passiana - 50 years (Nihang Head)
4) Gurdeep Singh s/o Roshan Lal R/o Jain Mohalla Samana PS city Samana - 24 years
5) Nanna
6 ) Jangir Singh S/o Pritam Singh R/o Village Partapgarh PS Sadar Patiala - 75 years
7) Maninder Singh s/o Jagtar Singh R/o Mehmoodpur PS Amloh -29 years
8) Jaswant Singh s/o Bhinder Singh R/o chamaaru PS Ghanour - 55 years
9)Darshan Singh s/o Dalip Singh R/o Dhiru Majri Patiala PS Civil Line
10) Nirbhav Singh
11) Sukhpreet Kaur w/o Jagmeet Singh R/o Khhichri Sahib Balbera - 25 years