Khalistan militant Chaura released on bail after 5 yrs in jail

AMRITSAR: Khalistani militant Narain Singh Chaura, who was granted bail by a Taran Taran court in a case under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act on Thursday, was released on Saturday night from the Amritsar central jail where he had been lodged for the past five years.

Deputy superintendent of the jail, Hemant Sharma, said Chaura had been released on bail. The militant was allegedly associated with Khalistan Liberation Force and the Akal Federation.

Chaura was arrested on February 28, 2013, from Jalalabad village in Tarn Taran and his accomplices Sukhdev Singh and Gurinder Singh were nabbed from Pandoori village of the district on the same day. After their interrogation, police raided a hideout at Kurali village of Mohali district and claimed to have recovered a cache of arms and ammunitions.

He was booked in around a dozen cases, including one under the Explosives Act on May 8, 2010 at the civil lines police station in Amritsar. He was also wanted in cases under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in Amritsar, Tarn Taran and Ropar districts.

Chaura’s counsel VP Singh Bhatia said that in March, the accused was acquitted by an Amritsar court in the case under the Explosives Act.

THE PAK LINK

According to police, Chaura had crossed over to Pakistan in 1984 and was instrumental in smuggling large consignments of weapons and explosives into Punjab during the initial phase of militancy. While in Pakistan, he allegedly authored a book on guerrilla warfare and “seditious” literature. He was also accused in Burail jailbreak case.