Indian Media blames SANGAT TV for propaganda behind Brar's attack

[Azaad]

Youngsters influenced by radical Sikh propaganda and not trained terrorists could have been behind the attack on Lt Gen KS Brar, according to Punjab Police officials who track movement of radicals here and abroad.

Lt Gen KS Brar (retd) © being escorted out of the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport after his arrival from London in Mumbai on Wednesday. — AFP

There is a feeling among police circles here that the attack was the work of amateurs and not trained professionals. Officials said the fact that even three attackers could not overpower the General or attack him in a manner that could be described as fatal, indicated they were novice and had not been sufficiently motivated to “go for the kill” at all cost.

Sources said the fact that the attackers did not use firearms also indicated that they were more interested in sending out a message. Terrorist organisations, on the other hand, would plan such attacks meticulously, they added. They gave the example of how the Babbar Khalsa had flown in terrorists from abroad to execute Rashtriya Sikh Sewa head Rulda Singh two years ago.

Officials, however, claim they had been preparing to counter such a scenario in Punjab for around six months. They said the events following awarding of death sentence to former Chief Minister Beant Singh’s assassin Balwant Singh Rajoana in March this year gave a fillip to separatist forces. The state-managed protests after Rajoana was awarded the death penalty helped radical forces to stage a comeback among youth abroad.

Sources point towards the propaganda unleashed by “Sangat” television abroad and collection of $1.5 million in two days after a Sikh youth died in a clash in Gurdaspur during protests held to demand clemency for Rajoana. The incident gave boost to the radical cause, they said.

Sources said the inflow of funds to separatists abroad resulted in its onward flow to former militants in Punjab. They said such people, including Daljit Singh Bittu and Kulbir Singh Barapind who were arrested recently, were under pressure to show results in Punjab. The Punjab Police claims both Bittu and Barapind had been distributing money to militant families in Punjab.

The Punjab Police has decided to oversee the security arrangements of all officers who had been associated with anti-militancy operations. Though the security cover had been thinned in some cases, it has been further strengthened in case of high-risk individuals including former state police chief KPS Gill and some religious leaders.

Intelligence agencies have asked the Centre to take steps to counter the anti-India propaganda among youth abroad.