TARN TARAN BLAST: NIA TAKES CUSTODY OF 3 ACCUSED

MOHALI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) probing the recent Tarn Taran blast got the custody of three accused. Five other accused were sent to judicial custody.

The designated NIA court of NS Gill in Mohali on Friday sent Harjit Singh, Amritpal Singh and Gurjant Singh — who got injured in the blast — to custodial interrogation till September 11.

While two persons — Bikramjit Singh, 22, of Kadgill village and Harpreet Singh, 19, of Bachre village were killed, Gurjant, 27, lost his eyesight in the blast that took place on the outskirts of the Pandori Gola village in Tarn Taran district on September 4. The incident took place when three of them were digging a pit at an agricultural field to retrieve a dumped explosive consignment, which they mishandled.

Police had then not ruled out a terror angle in the incident. The case was handed over to the NIA on September 20.

“We had opposed custodial interrogation saying that he was a passerby and had nothing to do with the blast,” said defence counsel Ranjodh Singh Sarao.

Other accused — Manpreet Singh Mann, Chandeep Singh Khalsa, alias Gabbar Singh, Malkiat Singh, alias Sher Singh, Mandeep Singh, alias Massa, and Amarjit Singh, alias Amar, were sent to judicial custody.

Police had then arrested eight members of the Pakistan-backed module, whose interrogations led to a complex web of conspiracy and attacks by the group, including an aborted attack on high value target in 2016,

A case under Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the IPC and various sections of the Explosive Substances Act, was registered.

TWO PEOPLE WERE KILLED AND ONE INJURED IN A BLAST AT PANDORI GOLA VILLAGE IN TARN TARAN DISTRICT ON SEPTEMBER 4