Alampur was accused in Burail Jail break for helping Hawara and others
Fatehgarh Sahib, November 8 - A local court has acquitted freedom fighter, and Babbar Khalsa International (India) Jathedar, Jagtar Singh Hawara's close aide Gurdeep Singh Alampur (Babbar Khalsa) in a sedition case as the prosecution failed to prove charges against him. 37 year old Gurdeep Singh Alampur is also accused in the Burail Jail break on January 21, 2004 as he helped Jagtar Singh Hawara, Jagtar Singh Tara, Paramjit Singh Bheora and Devi Singh to escape.
The Bassi Pathana police had registered a case against Gurdeep Singh and others under section 124-A (sedition), Section 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion), section 25,54,59 of the Arms Act, 3/4 of Explosives Act on February 12, 2004. The court of Additional District and Session Judge, Fatehgarh Sahib, acquitted Gurdeep Singh in this case while others accused were still at large. Alampur's lawyer, Hardev Singh Rai, stated that he was falsely implicated in this case and there was no truth to the allegations by the prosecution in the case; so Gurdeep Singh was acquitted.
In Fatehgarh Sahib district around six cases were also registered against Gurdeep Singh related to the NDPS Act, Arms Act, Explosive Act, theft, docaity, hourbouring Hawara and other freedom fighters. In most of the cases he was declared a Proclaimed Offender (PO). Sources said in many cases in the district, he was acquitted.
Gurdeep Singh, a resident of the village Alampur of the Fatehgarh Sahib district, was arrested by Kurukhetra police 24 km away from the village Sujra patrolled by Babain police station on October 17, 2005. At that time of his arrest the Kurukeshtra police had claimed they recovered a Chinese pistol and 14 cartridges from his possession. The police also claimed that Gurdeep Singh used to collect funds for terrorist activities by Jathedar Hawara and receive arms and ammunition.
He was absconding and wanted in the Burail Jail break case. At the time of his arrest, Gurdeep Singh, alias Rana, had allegedly told the Kurukeshtra police that he met Hawara for the first time in 1988 through Sher Singh, son of Hari Singh, Hawara's relative, in Muranda village in the Ropar district of Punjab. In 1990, he was declared a proclaimed offender as he was linked with Pirthi Singh of the Babbar Khalsa who was killed in an encounter with the Punjab Police. In 1999, he, along with Sukhpreet of Patiala district and Fariad Ali, looted Rs.300,000. In 2000, he joined with Sukhpreet again and Harjinder Singh of Meerut to rob an Esteem Car. After 15 days they robbed Rs.905,000 from a property dealer in Ludhiana. They were caught after two months by the Punjab Police and he remained in jail for 20 months.
He met Lakhvinder Singh, resident of Dera Mir Miya, Fatehgarh Sahib, who was held in the Burail Jail and an associate of Hawara, during court hearings. Lakhvinder introduced him to his wife Baljeet Kaur. In January 2004, he and Baljeet Kaur allegedly waited outside near Burail Jail in a car and helped Jagtar Singh Hawara, Jagtar Singh Tara, Paramjeet Singh Bheora and Devi Singh Garhwali to escape from jail.
The police alleged that he arranged the car and also he was driving the car in which they escaped. Hawara met him at Sahazadpur village in Punjab and gave him a mobile phone and Rs.10,000 in cash. After 15 days, Hawara gave him a pistol, 15 cartridges and two magazines. Hawara met him at Pamma's house in Lathedi village in Chamkaur Sahib in Ropar district. This time Hawara gave him five detonators and 9kg of RDX and taught him how to use it. They planned to kill Piara Sinh Bhaniyarawala and tried twice by planting RDX but could not succeed. He stole a motorcycle from Jirakpur Road for Hawara. He robbed Rs.2,200,000 from Patiala with Sahibjeet Singh and Gurbaj Singh. Out of this, he gave Rs.500,000 to Hawara.
According to police, Gurdeep further told them that a few days later, Hawara gave him 3 pistols, 2 AK-56 rifles and 350 cartridges at Fatehgarh Sahib. Then in Lathori village, Hawara handed over one GPM Rifle, four AK-56 rifles, 14 hand grenades, six magazines of 28 cartridges each, 15 time switches, 40 detonators, one drum magazine of 100 cartridges, 20 MTR wire, 1 pistol and 12 batteries.
Later Kurukeshtra police handed over Gurdeep Singh to the Kharar police in Punjab on the latter's request saying that many cases of looting and RDX possession were pending against him with the Kharar police.
Kharar police had claimed that during interrogation, Gurdeep admitted that he had robbed the Rs.2,200,000 from a property dealer in Patiala with the help of Sahibjeet Singh, a resident of Patiala, and Gurbaj Singh, a resident of Pilakhani, Patiala district. Besides, the Rs.500,000 given to Hawara, the remaining amount was distributed among the rest. Gurdeep also admitted that he had arranged the car along with Baljeet Kaur and waited near Gurdwara Dhanna Bhagat, near Burail Jail. He drove the car in which Hawara, Bheora, Tara and Devi Singh fled.
They allegedly stopped the car near a road that led to Panchkoy in Khantmannpur village. Gurdeep removed his clothes and gave them to Hawara, while Baljeet gave Rs.9,000 to Hawara. On October 24, 2005 the Ropar police claimed to recover 450gm of RDX, a pistol, and cartridges from Kharar which were hidden by Gurdeep Singh Alampur. After allegedly hearing this information from Gurdeep Singh, a team seized RDX and ammunition from near the Bhukri rivulet passing through Jandpur village in Kharar. Gurdeep had also confessed that he, along with Hawara, had planted a time bomb in the ashram of anti-Sikh cult leader, Piara Singh Bhaniarawala, but it exploded prematurely.
