Shooting at Ludhiana

THE shooting incident at Ludhiana railway station involving the death of one person and injuries to two policemen on Tuesday morning is a serious matter. The assailant, Balbir Singh Bhootna, was arrested after a fierce gun battle between him and the police. A proclaimed offender, Balbir is believed to be a Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) activist by the police. He has also been involved in some other firing incidents. On June 30 the Ludhiana police took in custody three persons after the recovery of 32 gelatin sticks and six detonators from their possession. They were part of a module belonging to the Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF). Police investigations revealed that the three were getting different kinds of assistance from Ranjit Singh alias Neeta, a terrorist operating from Pakistan. The KZF had also owned up responsibility for the killing of Baba Niranjan Dass, head of Dera Sach Khand, in Vienna recently.
These are not the only incidents indicating that on occasions attempts are still made to revive terrorism in Punjab. In June 2008 the Punjab police had arrested a woman operative of the KZF on charges of planning to assassinate Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. Four BKI activists were nabbed in Delhi last year for being engaged in a plot to eliminate Dalit godman Piara Singh Bhaniarawale.
These arrests provide enough proof that vestiges of the forces of terrorism in Punjab are trying to raise their head again. They may not be in a position to threaten the peace in the state in a big way today, but the fact that they are getting active again is definitely a cause for concern. There is a need to keep a close watch on the activities of the BKI, the KZF and other terrorist outfits, which had wreaked havoc during those dark days of Punjab terrorism. Terrorist outfits must not be allowed to regroup themselves again at any cost. Vigilance is the price of peace in Punjab.