For ‘sheltering’ Balwinder’s shooters, 4 taken into custody

Our Correspondent
Tarn Taran, November 6

The Bhikhiwind police have taken into custody four relatives of two accused for allegedly providing shelter to the shooters who killed Shaurya Chakra awardee comrade Balwinder Singh Bhikhiwind. He was shot dead in Bhikhiwind at his residence on October 16. The police also claimed to have recovered three weapons used in the murder by arresting two more accused.

SSP Dhruman H Nimbale said Jagroop Singh and Amarjit Kumar of Ludhiana had been arrested and a 30-bore pistol and a country-made pistol with two magazines, and a 7.65-bore pistol with three cartridges had been recovered from both, respectively. The SSP said one of the main accused, Gurjit Singh Bhaa, had used these weapons. Nimbale said another accused, Rajbir Singh of Nathpur village (Gurdaspur) had been brought from Patiala.

The police have so far arrested 11 accused, but the main accused, Sukhmeetpal Singh, alias Sukh Bhikhariwal, of Bhikhariwal village, Sukhdeep Singh Bura of Kharal and Bhaa of Lakhanpal (all three of Gurdaspur district) are still at large. The police revealed that Bura and Bhaa had hatched the murder conspiracy at the behest of Sukh Bhikhariwal.

The police have still not disclosed the motive behind the murder. The accused taken into custody today were Surinder Singh and his son Rajinder Singh Minta, the relatives of Bura, of Kharal. The other two accused were Bhajan Singh and his wife Harwinder Kaur, the relatives of Bhaa, of Lakhanpal village. Investigation Officer Balraj Singh said teams had fanned out to nab the accused.

Balwinder’s wife Jagdish Kaur and other family members claimed involvement of gangsters in the murder showed a link to militancy as the comrade bravely fought against it and four members of

the family received the country’s prestigious Shaurya Chakra award.