Jagroop Singh, the 39-year-old suspect killed in the botched Patiala rail blast on Monday night, has uncovered a trajectory of deepening radicalisation linked to jailed Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh. The incident occurred around 10pm near Bathonia village on the Rajpura-Shambhu rail line, where Jagroop was killed instantly when an explosive device detonated prematurely while he was attempting to sabotage the freight track.
Once a local youth with no visible religious affiliations, Jagroop transformed into a blue-attired nihang (a member of a traditional Sikh warrior order) over the past eight years, frequently moving between various Sikh chavanis (cantonments). During the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he emerged as an active campaigner for Amritpal Singh’s radical Waris Punjab De outfit.
Police raid Panjwar, detain brother
Following his identification via a SIM card recovered from the mutilated remains at the blast site, police teams reached his house at Panjwar Khurd early on Tuesday morning. The village, located near the India-Pakistan border in Tarn Taran, is a historic bastion of militancy, once referred to as the “capital of Khalistan.” It was the home of two Khalistan Commando Force (KCF) chiefs, Labh Singh Panjwar and Paramjit Singh Panjwar; the latter was assassinated in Lahore, Pakistan, in 2023.
In the presence of sarpanch Manjit Singh, police searched the premises and detained Jagroop’s brother, Satnam Singh, who operates a village flour mill. While the sarpanch claimed Jagroop’s conduct was peaceful, his transition from a local youth to a radical operative has shifted the focus of the Patiala investigation toward a larger conspiracy.
Links to ‘Chalda Vaheer’ module
Investigations into the Patiala blast have centered on a newly surfaced radical outfit named Chalda Vaheer Chakarwarti, Attariye, described by police as the operational front for the sabotage attempt. Founded by kingpin Pardeep Singh Khalsa, the group allegedly functioned as a recruitment and logistics pipeline, leveraging religious rhetoric to attract youth for terror activities.
Patiala police, who busted the module within 12 hours of the explosion, revealed that the group maintained direct coordination with Malaysia-based handlers and Pakistan-based arms suppliers. Authorities are now cross-referencing family contacts with evidence recovered from the rail line to determine if Panjwar served as a logistics hub for the group’s trans-border handlers. This sabotage attempt marks the second attack on the region’s rail infrastructure this year, following a similar blast in the Sirhind area on January 23.
www.hindustantimes.com
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