Sikh outfit threatens to blow Rly stns, shrines, cinemas

Ambala, July 30 (UNI) Sikh militant outfit Babbar Khalsa has allegedlly threatened to blow up railway stations and religious places in Haryana and Punjab on the Independence Day.

In a letter to station master Barara, Babbar Khalsa's Punjab ''area commander'' has said that railway stations of Ambala, Barara, Karnal, Kurukshetra Sonepat, Palwal and some stations in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh would be blown up on August 15 when the nation would be celebrating the Independence day.

The letter further added that religious places in Haryana, specially Dera Sacha Sauda at Sirsa and cinema houses would be blasted on August 24.

The GRP SHO Ambala Cantonment Ishwar Singh who was handed over the letter however, dismissed the letters as the handiwork of some ''mischievous elements to disturb the peace and tranquility in the area'' noting that similar letters had been received twice earlier.

The SHO Singh said that the letter tallied with the earlier two letters in the same handwriting but still Ambala Police have also taken precautionary measures in the wake of the letter received by the Barara station master.

The GRP SP Bharati Arora said and a probe has been ordered to find out those behind such letters and a prize of Rs 50,000 was announced but no breakthrough could be made so far.

She however, said that security arrangements had been beefed up at all the stations threatened in the letter.

UNI XC JN MMS1915