NIA files multiple chargesheets in Babbar Khalsa terror cases

The National Investigation Agency has filed multiple chargesheets this week in a string of cases it says are linked to the banned Babbar Khalsa International organisation and a separate terror-gangster nexus, naming arrested suspects, identifying foreign-based handlers and outlining alleged transnational recruitment and logistics networks.

In Mohali on Saturday the NIA filed a chargesheet against 11 arrested suspects in the April 6 rocket-propelled grenade attack on Qila Lal Singh police station in Batala district, Punjab, officials said. The accused have been charged under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Arms Act and the Explosive Substances Act. Another 11 individuals identified in the inquiry remain at large, the agency said. The NIA said foreign-based BKI handlers Harpreet Singh, known as Happy Passia, Mannu Agwan and Gurpreet Singh, known as Gopi Navasherian, publicly claimed responsibility for the strike and that the operation was carried out with active assistance from overseas operatives to further the group’s agenda.

A supplementary chargesheet filed in Chandigarh added a key accused to the investigation into...