Babbar Khalsa terrorist Hawara gets 10 years in Bhajan Lal case

Chandigarh, Aug 30 (UNI) A Sessions Court today awarded ten years imprisonment to Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) chief in India, Jagtar Singh Hawara and four others in the foiled attempt to assassinate former Haryana Chief Minister Bhajan Lal in 1995.

The quantum of sentence was pronounced by Additional District and Session Judge R K Sondhi in the high security Burail Jail, where Hawara and others are being held.

Besides Hawara, the others who would undergo 10 years imprisonment include Hukam Singh, Malak Singh, Kulbir Singh and Gurjeet Singh. They were also directed to deposit a fine of Rs 5000 each.

The Court had held the five and a woman Narinder Kaur guilty in the 12-year old case on August 28, but had deferred the pronouncement of quantum of sentence till today. Hawara, Hukam, Kulbir, Malak and Gurjeet were found guilty under the Explosive Substances Act, while Narinder Kaur was convicted under the Arms Act.

However Narinder Kaur, who has already spent three years in custody, was released after depositing the fine of Rs 5000 which was imposed on her by the court on August 28. All the rest named in the FIR were acquited by the court.

The Ambala police in 1995 had registered a case against 13 persons, including two women while claiming to have foiled a conspiracy to assassinate Bhajan Lal.

Besides Hawara--who is facing the death sentence for the assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh--Paramjit Singh Bheora, Balwant Singh, Hukam Singh, Gurjeet Singh, Parshotam Singh, Narinder Kaur, Kailash Rani, Malak Singh, Charanjit Singh, Kulbir Singh, Bikram Singh and Harjinder Singh were named as the accused.

As per the prosecution, the accused had conspired to kill Bhajan Lal and with this intention they were heading towards Narwana in Haryana on December 14, 1995 when a police party in Matheru village signaled a vehicle to stop. In response, gunshots were fired by the occupants at the police, killing constable Vijay Bhan and injuring, ASI Maninder Singh.

During interrogation, acccused Punjab police cosntable Balwant Singhu--facing the death sentence along with Hawara in the Beant Singh case-- maintained that he along with Purshotam Singh, Paramjeet Singh Bheora and Jagatar Singh Hawara had conspired to assassinate Bhajan Lal.

Balwant Singh claimed that Kulbir Singh was to be the human bomb and he had been directed that if he failed to eliminate Bhajan Lal, he would again try to kill him at Pehowa during a public rally.

UNI