CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Police, with the help of Central intelligence agencies, have arrested hardcore militant Rattandeep Singh of Bhindranwale Tiger Force of Khalistan (BTFK) from Eastern Uttar Pradesh. He was held by the State Special Operations Cell (SSOC) of Punjab Police from the outskirts of Gorakhpur. A 19-member team of Punjab Police has been camping in Gorakhpur since September 15. The police have recovered a Pakistani passport, a car registered in the name of Hussain Sheikh Zahid and Pakistani currency worth Rs 300 and Rs 11,000 in Indian currency from Rattandeep.
He was earlier a top operative of the Khalistan Commando Force, but later joined with the Babbar Khalsa International and became its operational head.
According to police, the ISI had revived the BTFK in July and chose Rattandeep to head it, following which he sneaked into India to carry out terrorist strikes. The ISI officials had held joint meetings with BKI’s Wadhawa Singh and Rattandeep to effect the new arrangement.
The ISI’s plan was to carry out strikes in Punjab during the festival season so as to cause maximum death and destruction. Preliminary investigations have revealed that Rattandeep’s main target was a prominent Hindu leader, who currently enjoys Punjab Police’s security cover. The ISI’s fresh attempt to revive militancy in the state comes about a year after the police had pre-empted and foiled three targeted plans by the KLF in August and September last. Then too the targets were prominent Hindu personalities in Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Pathankot.
Rattandeep is a Pakistan-based militant, who had been living in that country since 1993, occasionally travelling to India to carry out the strikes. He was the leader of a group of militants, who had planted explosives in a vehicle in Amritsar in May 2010. He had then smuggled in a consignment of weapons and explosives from across the border.
Wanted In Several Bomb Blast Cases
Rattandeep is wanted in several militant-related offences, including a bomb blast at Passport Office, Sector 34, Chandigarh (1999), bomb blast on railway bridge in Panipat (1999), planting of an IED on the railway track at the Shahabad-Markanda bridge (1998) and encounter with police (1999).