New Delhi:

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a chargesheet against two operatives of  Terror Outfi Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) in connection with the murder of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Vikas Prabhakar, also known as Vikas Bagga, in Punjab.

The chargesheeted individuals are Dharminder Kumar, alias Kunal, and Harwinder Kumar, alias Sonu, who is currently on the run and based in Dubai.

They face charges under multiple sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UA(P) Act), the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and the Arms Act.

VHP leader Vikas Bagga was shot dead in April last year by terrorists associated with the BKI module. He was murdered at his confectionery shop in Nangal, Roopnagar district of Punjab.

According to information, the killing was part of a larger conspiracy hatched by BKI operatives from several countries, including Pakistan under the guidance of BKI leader Wadhawa Singh Babbar. The plot was further managed by Germany-based Harjit Singh, alias Laddi, and Kulbeer Singh, alias Sidhu.

The agency took over the investigation from the Punjab Police on May 9 this year. The NIA had previously chargesheeted several other key figures involved in the case. These individuals included Laddi, Sidhu, Wadhawa Singh, and shooters Mandeep Kumar, alias Mangli, and Surinder Kumar, alias Rikka.

The probe has revealed that Laddi and Sidhu played a significant role in recruiting operatives for their terror group, providing them with logistical support, funding, and weapons for executing the murder.

Harwinder Kumar, alias Sonu, a resident of Nawanshahr, Punjab, is accused of transferring funds to India and arranging the weapons used in the attack. Sonu, along with Laddi and Sidhu, funded Dharminder Kumar, alias Kunal, who sourced the weapons from a supplier in Madhya Pradesh.

The NIA probe has also uncovered the involvement of a weapons dealer and other foreign-based associates in the plot. Investigations are ongoing, with authorities working to arrest the on the run suspects and uncover the full scope of the conspiracy.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Narain Singh Chaura, the man who allegedly has links to the Khalistani terrorist group Babbar Khalsa, was arrested for opening fire at former Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal this morning. He tried to attack Mr Badal while he was serving his penance at the entrance of the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

Sukhbir Singh Badal escaped unhurt as Chaura was overpowered by people present on the spot.

The incident occurred around 9 am shortly after Mr Badal, who was in a wheelchair, had taken the ‘sewadar’s’ place at the gate of the Golden Temple.

Visuals from the spot show Chaura slowly approaching the gate and then taking a gun out of his pocket. A man standing near Mr Badal quickly spotted him and held his hands.

#WATCH | Punjab: Bullets fired at Golden Temple premises in Amritsar where SAD leaders, including party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, are offering ‘seva’ under the religious punishments pronounced for them by Sri Akal Takht Sahib, on 2nd December.

Details awaited. pic.twitter.com/CFQaoiqLkx

— ANI (@ANI) December 4, 2024

The gun goes off but narrowly misses Mr Badal and others near him and hits the wall.

Who Is Narain Singh Chaura

Narain Singh Chaura is a resident of a village called Chaura in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district, some 60 kilometres from Golden Temple.

He was born on April 4, 1956, to Chanam Singh and Gurnam Kaur.

According to sources in the security establishment, Chaura is associated with the banned pro-Khalistan group Babbar Khalsa or Babbar Khalsa International.

The 68-year-old is also considered the mastermind of Chandigarh’s 2004 Burail jailbreak case in which four inmates escaped prison after digging a 104-foot tunnel. These four prisoners were Babbar Khalsa chief Jagtar Singh Hawara, former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh’s assassins Paramjit Singh Bheora and Jagtar Singh Tara and a murder convict Devi Singh.

Chaura was arrested in 2013 in a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. He was released on bail five years later.

Sukhbir Singh Badal Serving Punishment At Golden Temple

Sukhbir Singh Badal on Tuesday started his penance by serving the religious punishment given to him by the highest temporal body of Sikhs in a sacrilege case.

The Akali Dal chief sat in a wheelchair at the entrance of the Golden Temple in Amritsar, wearing a plaque around his neck and holding a spear, visuals showed.

Mr Badal has been sentenced by the Akal Takht to perform as a ‘sewadar’ and given clean duty in the kitchen and toilet at several gurdwaras, including the Golden Temple, for favouring Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim in the 2015 sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib.