Who Is Bikramjit Singh, Alleged Mastermind Behind 2019 Tarn Taran Blast?

Bikramjit Singh has been accused of leading pro-khalistan terror activities in Punjab targeting Tarn Taran.

The NIA arrested Bikramjit Singh on 8 December, after he was extradited from Vienna, Austria, on the basis of an Interpol Red Corner Notice.

(Image: The Quint)

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested Bikramjit Singh, an alleged pro-Khalistan operative and the alleged mastermind behind the 2019 Tarn Taran bomb blast in Punjab, after his extradition from Vienna, Austria, the agency said on Thursday, 8 December.

What happened in the blast? Two people, Harpreet Singh and Vikram Singh, were killed in an accidental explosion on the outskirts of Pandori Gola village in Tarn Taran late 4 September 2019. A third, Gurjant Singh, was also injured in the explosion.

The three were allegedly trying to dig up explosives they had buried on a piece of land on the outskirts of the village, allegedly co-ordinated by Bikramjit Singh.

Who is Bikramjit Singh?

Bikramjit Singh AKA Bikkar Panjwar AKA Bikkar Baba was accused by the NIA of forming and leading a terror gang to carry out terror attacks in Punjab.

The charges:

• Bikramjit Singh is accused of being the key conspirator in an attempt to target Dera Muradpura, in Punjab's Tarn Taran, with terror attacks.

• According to the NIA, their investigations had revealed that Bikramjit Singh instigated the men involved in the blast to commit terrorist acts.

• The NIA adds that he also conducted training for the fabrication of Improvised Explosive Devices and how to use them.

• He has also been accused of carrying bombs during several processions and agitations and instigating other participants to attack government agencies and carry out acts of terror.

How Was Bikramjit Singh Arrested?

• According to the NIA, Bikramjit Singh had absconded from India in 2018 and was coordinating terror activities from Vienna.

• Singh was detained in Austria's Vienna on 22 March 2021, based on a Red Corner Notice from Interpol. The Red Corner Notice came on the back of non-bailable warrants issued by the NIA's Special Court in Mohali, Punjab.

• “After the completion of legal proceedings, Linz Regional Court, Austria, extradited the arrested accused Bikramjit Singh,” the NIA statement said on Thursday.

• An NIA team had travelled to Vienna to take him into custody, with Interpol's assistance.

The Background

The explosion in Tarn Taran on 4 September 2019, was allegedly part of an attempt to target the Dera in Muradpura gone wrong, the NIA said.

The men accused of planning the attack were youngsters who had been radicalised into pro-khalistan secessionists under the guidance of Bikramjit Singh, the NIA had said.

Three weeks after the explosion, on 23 September, the NIA registered a case. Four men, Harjit Singh, Gurjant Singh, Vikram Singh, and Harpreet Singh were retrieving the buried explosives from nearby Pandiro Gola village when the explosion took place, the official said.

The NIA had filed charges against nine people in March 2020 including Singh, following this attack.

The NIA alleged that the radicalised youth chose targets with an intent to promote enmity between people of different communities, to create unrest, and to threaten public peace and order.

Earlier this month, the NIA brought another wanted person - Harpreet Singh alias Happy Malaysia from Kuala Lumpur. Harpreet Singh was the alleged main conspirator behind the December 2021 Ludhiana court bomb blast.