Citing “national and international ramifications” of the conspiracy behind the targeted killings in the State, the Punjab Government has decided to hand over the investigations of seven cases to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Pointing that modus operandi in all the cases were the same, the Government decided to transfer the cases to Central agency under Section 6 of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Act, 2008.
The Government claimed that both the interstate as well as international perpetrators, handlers or actors and the terrorists or militants involved in the criminal conspiracy to disturb peace and communal harmony in the border state of Punjab by selectively targeting leaders of certain groups were found to be the same.
“The decision to transfer the cases was taken after a NIA team, led by its Director YC Modi, held discussions with the officials of Punjab Police on Monday.
The two teams mutually felt that the Central agency was better equipped to undertake further investigations into the cases,” read the Government’s press release. “With handlers, conspirators and financers in all these targeted killing cases operating from foreign soil, in countries such as UK, Canada, Italy etc, the investigations needed to be more broad-based, they both agreed,” it added.
Following the decision, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has directed the Punjab police to hand over all the materials in the cases to the NIA for further investigation into the cases, in which the police had recently arrested UK citizen Jagtar Singh Johal and some others to solve the cases of targeted killing of RSS, Shiv Sena, DSS leaders in the state between January 2016 and October 2017, said the Government spokesperson.
The Chief Minister has directed that complete support be extended to NIA to uncover the full extent of the conspiracy to disturb Punjab’s peace and harmony.
Spokesperson said that the move was aimed at ensuring that foreign-based networks, conspiring against Punjab, are dismantled and action taken against foreign handlers — both organisations and individuals — through cooperation with the Union Ministry of External Affairs, Interpol, foreign Governments, etc.
It was vital to crack down on such elements that are carrying out murder and mayhem, and revive terrorism in Punjab, said the spokesperson.
The decision would also help dispel false, slanderous and orchestrated social media campaign launched by interested Governments, organisations and elements to raise funds, and to deter the police and prosecuting agencies from doing their duty, it was felt.
The seven cases being handed over to NIA include killing of RSS leader Ravinder Gosain, in which the investigation had already been handed over to NIA before the terror module was busted by the Punjab Police. Gosain was killed in ludhiana on October 17 this year.
The Government has proposed that the case of the murder of RSS state vice-president Brig Jagdish Gagneja, which was being probed by CBI, be also transferred to NIA. Gagneja was killed in Jalandhar in August 2016.