There’s a UK link to pro-Khalistan network in Terai region: UP Police

A Haryana youth based in England had called two Pilibhit youths on Dec 20 to arrange a hotel room for the three alleged militants gunned down in the encounter, says official

LUCKNOW A fresh UK link has surfaced in UP Police’s investigation into the pro-Khalistan network in Terai region of UP, after three alleged militants of Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) were gunned down in Pilibhit on December 23, said officials on Friday. Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav had also claimed a UK link to the grenade attack on a police outpost in Gurdaspur on December 18.

Sunny and Manoj, who were in police custody since Wednesday after their involvement surfaced in helping the killed militants, revealed during interrogation that Siddhu had visited Pilibhit around 18 months ago and left for Greece around eight months ago, said the official. (Pic for representation)

A Haryana youth, Siddhu, based in England, had called two Pilibhit youths, Sunny and Manoj on December 20, to arrange a hotel room for the three alleged militants gunned down in the encounter, said a UP police official citing investigation by the local police, UP ATS and NIA. The Terai region includes Pilibhit, Bareilly, Shahjahanpur, Lakhimpur Kheri and Badaun districts of UP.

SP (Pilibhit) Avinash Pandey also confirmed to media persons that a caller from England had asked the two Pilibhit youths to arrange a hotel room.

Sunny and Manoj, who were in police custody since Wednesday after their involvement surfaced in helping the killed militants, revealed during interrogation that Siddhu had visited Pilibhit around 18 months ago and left for Greece around eight months ago, said the official.

The two are residents of Gajraula Zapti village under Puranpur police station limits and were taken into custody after they were spotted in a CCTV footage of the hotel, where the three alleged militants stayed from December 20 to 21.

Sunny revealed that Siddhu was in constant touch with him even after leaving Pilibhit.

In a post on X on December 23, Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav had confirmed that the three operatives - Varinder Singh alias Ravi, Gurwinder Singh, and Jashanpreet Singh alias Partap Singh, accused of attacking the police outpost of Gurdaspur with grenades, were gunned down in a joint operation by UP Police and Punjab Police against Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) terror module controlled by one Ranjeet Singh Nita and operated by Jaswinder Singh Mannu, based in Greece, a resident of Punjab. It was further controlled by UK-based Jagjeet Singh, said to be serving in the British Army. He used the identity of Fateh Singh Baggi.

UK authorities, however, reportedly refuted Punjab Police’s findings about the involvement of a British Army soldier, Jagjeet Singh, in terrorist activities in India. The UK ministry of defence on Tuesday said no one by that name was serving in the British Army, while Punjab DGP backed the investigation, and saying the matter will be taken up with the British authorities “through proper channels”, an English daily reported.

According to the Punjab police dossier, accessed by HT, Jagjeet Singh and his associates were planning to target religious heads to vitiate communal harmony in the state by recruiting youth from Punjab in lieu of money and migration abroad. A case under UAPA was lodged, and Jagjeet Singh was declared PO in the case. His name cropped up in November 2021 when two hand grenades and two pistols were recovered from an arrested accused, Ranjit Singh, of Sohal village in Tarn Taran. Jagjeet Singh’s name had surfaced in this case too,” the police stated.