Vivek Gupta 
Chandigarh: Three suspected Khalistani militants – who were allegedly involved in last week’s grenade attack at Bakshiwala police post of Kalanaur town in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district – were killed in an encounter in Uttar Pradesh’s Pilibhit district on Monday, December 23.
Punjab police claimed that those killed were working for Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) militant module sponsored by Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI), an intelligence agency of neighbouring Pakistan.
In a statement, Punjab director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav informed that the preliminary investigation had revealed that this militant module was controlled by Pakistan-based Ranjeet Singh Nita, the chief of KZF.
Greece-based Jaswinder Singh Mannu, a native of Agwan village in Kalanaur town in Gurdaspur where a grenade attack on a police post took place on December 18, was operating this module, Yadav said.
According to him, one of the deceased, Varinder (alias Ravi), also resided in the same village as Jaswinder Singh, while the other two deceased, Gurwinder Singh and Jashanpreet Singh, lived nearby.
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Yadav also claimed that Varinder had links with UK-based Jagjeet Singh, who allegedly works in the British Army under the assumed identity of Fateh Singh Baghi. Using this alias, Jagjeet Singh reportedly claimed responsibility for the grenade attack on social media shortly after the incident on December 18.
No loss of life or property was reported in that low-intensity blast which occurred at around 8 pm.
Joint operation with Uttar Pradesh police
The operation against these suspected militants was the result of a joint operation between police forces of Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, shared Punjab police.
Deputy inspector general of police (DIG) for Border Range, Satinder Singh, informed the media that after receiving reliable inputs about suspects fleeing to Uttar Pradesh and taking shelter in Pilibhit, the Gurdaspur Police promptly notified the Pilibhit Police and deployed teams from Gurdaspur to Pilibhit to conduct a joint operation.
According to the DIG, police teams from both states successfully traced the accused persons. However, when confronted, they opened fire on the police teams, prompting the police to retaliate, he added.
He underlined that during the exchange of fire, all the three accused persons had sustained bullet injuries and were immediately taken to the Community Health Centre (CHC) in Pilibhit’s Puranpur district for urgent medical treatment.
Similarly, Pilibhit superintendent of police (SP) Avinash Pandey told media that upon receiving information from Punjab police, search was launched in the district. In that process, three persons were found escaping fast on a bike. According to Pandey, the alleged militants opened fire at the police team after they were apprehended. In return firing, they were critically injured, he added.
“They were referred to the district hospital after initial treatment at CHC Puranpur. However, the chief medical officer and his team confirmed that they were dead upon arrival here,” Pandey said.
According to Punjab police, the police teams in Uttar Pradesh have also recovered two AK-47 rifles and two 9MM Glock pistols from their possession along with a huge cache of ammunition.
Later, the Uttar Pradesh DGP wrote on X that this operation exemplifies the state police’s zero tolerance policy against crime and criminals. “The swift and decisive action taken on real time intelligence in coordination with Punjab Police shows that our commitment to eliminate anti-national forces is unwavering.”
“We are fully committed to protecting the sovereignty and integrity of the country in collaboration with other state police forces and national agencies. This is a clear message against terrorism: there will be no place for terrorism within the country,” he added.
Meanwhile, Harish Dayama, senior superintendent of police (SSP) of Gurdaspur, informed the media that further investigations were underway to uncover connections and members of the militant module, with additional arrests and recoveries expected in the coming days.