3 Khalistani Terrorists, Wanted for Attack on Punjab Police, Killed in Encounter in UP's Pilibhit

Pilibhit: Three Khalistani terrorists, who were accused of launching a grenade attack at a police checkpoint in Punjab 's Gurdaspur, were gunned down in a police encounter in Uttar Pradesh, police said on Monday. The encounter broke out in Puranpur Police Station area in Pilibhit district last night.

This was confirmed by Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav. The terrorists were identified as Gurvinder Singh (25), Virender Singh alias Ravi (23), and Jaspreet Singh alias Pratap Singh (18), all residents of Gurdaspur, police said. 

Blast at Gurdaspur Police Post

The blast had taken place on Wednesday night (Dec 18) outside the Bakshiwal police chowki in Gurdaspur district, Punjab police had said on Thursday. Thereafter, police launched a probe on Thursday. Further, in an unverified post circulating on social media, terror outfit Khalistan Zindabad Force had claimed the responsibility for the alleged attack. This was the second incident of blast in Punjab last week and the third this month.

The encounter was carried out in a joint operation by UP Police and Punjab Police in Pilibhit. It is learnt that the cops initially tried to arrest them  but the criminals opened fire. After gunfight, the terrorists were taken to CHC Puranpur for medical treatment where they succumbed to injuries. Additionally, two AK rifles and two Glock pistols were also recovered from their possession, said DGP Gaurav Yadav.

The Punjab Police said the trio were part of a Pakistan -sponsored module of Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF). 

In a post on X, Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav wrote, "In a major breakthrough against a Pak-sponsored Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) terror module, a joint operation of UP police and Punjab police has led to an encounter with three module members who fired at the police party. This terror module is involved in grenade attacks at police establishments in Gurdaspur. The encounter took place in the jurisdiction of PS Puranpur, Pilibhit... The injured persons have been immediately taken to CHC Puranpur for urgent medical treatment. Investigations are in progress to unveil the entire terror module recovery. Two AK rifles and two glock pistols"

Punjab DGP Holds Press Conference

Addressing a press conference, DGP Yadav said that Pakistan-based Ranjit Singh Nita, the chief of KZF, masterminded the module behind the Pilibhit encounter. Nita operated primarily through Greece-based Jaswinder Singh Manu, who was linked to module leader Varinder Elias Ravi. Yadav also claimed that a British Army soldier might have been involved in planning the attack.

Yadav said, "In a major breakthrough against ISI-sponsored terrorism in Punjab, a joint operation of UP Police and Punjab Police has led to an encounter with three operatives of Khalistan Zindabad Force in district Pilibhit, UP. In this encounter, two AK-47 rifles and two Glock pistols have been recovered."

Yadav explained, "This module was controlled by Ranjit Singh Nita, the chief of KZF, who's based in Pakistan. And he was operating mainly through Jaswinder Singh Manu, who's based in Greece. He belongs to village Agma, which is the same village as one of the module members, Varinder Elias Ravi, who was leading the module."

Authorities continue to investigate the network, with further recoveries and arrests expected. Yadav noted, "The investigations are going on to expose all the connections and members of the module, and more recoveries and arrests are likely."

Attacks on Police Stations in Punjab

This comes after three subsequent attacks on police stations in Punjab within a month. The incident prompted the security agencies to suspect the role of Khalistani terrorists in the attack. While Bakshiwal police post in Gurdaspur was targeted on Friday, a blast occurred at Islamabad police station in Amritsar on Tuesday. A blast had also taken place outside Kathgarn police station in Nawanshahr. However, no one was injured in these explosions. 

Meanwhile, further probe is underway to expose the entire terror module.