Gunmen storm Punjab jail, free top militant, 5 others

Chandigarh/Lucknow: Ten gunmen disguised as policemen stormed a high-security prison in poll-bound Punjab on Sunday morning, rained bullets at security guards before freeing top Sikh militant commander Harminder Singh Mintoo and five other gangsters. Last month eight Islamists awaiting trial escaped a prison in Madhya Pradesh before being gunned down hours later.

Soon after the jailbreak, a 24-year old woman was killed in Punjab’s Samrala when the police, in a state of high alert, opened fire at a vehicle, which jumped a security barricade.

Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) chief Mintoo had been deported from Thailand and arrested in Delhi in 2014 on a string of terror charges, and his escape is a setback to anti-terror operations in the state, the police said.

Following the incident at Nabha city in the state’s Patiala district, the Punjab government sounded an alert, ordered a probe and sent special teams to nab the raiders and inmates who fled in cars.

The attackers moved quickly through the complex, indicating they knew about the jail layout, said a source. Others who escaped include: Kashmir Singh, Vicky Gounder, Gurpreet Sekhon, Amandeep Dhotian and Kulpreet Neetu aka Neeta Deol.

The SAD-BJP government suspended a top prison official and sacked two others amid mounting criticism from the Congress and the AAP in Punjab where assembly elections will be held early next year.  

The Uttar Pradesh police swiftly arrested one Parminder, who had allegedly helped in Mintoo’s escape, from Kairana in the state’s Shamli district. The police recovered arms and ammunition from him.

The Punjab government announced a reward of Rs 25 lakh for information helpful in nabbing the raiders and escapees. Deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal spoke of a Pakistan hand in the jailbreak.

Punjab battled Pakistan-backed Sikh militancy for a separate homeland for more than two decades till early 1990s. Mr Badal briefed National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval about the incident.

Union home minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and sought a detailed report on the incident.

Punjab Congress chief Amarinder said the state government was involved in the incident, while AAP chief and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal demanded the resignation of the Deputy CM who is also the state’s home minister.

The police said that Parminder, who was arrested from UP, had been taken to an undisclosed destination for questioning. He is a resident of Punjab’s Jalandhar district and had allegedly killed a policeman earlier. He had escaped from jail in March this year, the police said.