Jagtar Hawara acquitted in another 2005 Arms Act case

Chandigarh : A local court on Friday acquitted Babbar Khalsa militant Jagtar Singh Hawara in a 2005 Arms Act case. This is his second acquittal in 10 days.

Convicted for life in former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh assassination case, Hawara was facing trials in connection with two FIRs registered at Chandigarh’s Sectors 36 and 17 police stations in July 2005 for offences punishable under the Explosive Substances Act, the Arms Act and the Indian Penal Code.

This FIR was registered on July 11 2005 at the Sector 17 police station under Sections 121, 121 A, 123, 153 of the IPC, Section 4,5,6 of the Explosive Substance Act and Section 25,54,59 of the Arms Act.

According to case files, a team of Chandigarh Police was patrolling in Sector 17 on July 11, 2005, when they got a tip-off that Hawara, who was in police custody at that moment, had sent his trained men from Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) to Chandigarh to target a VIP as part of his larger conspiracy to reignite terrorism in the country and wage war against the government since his escape from Model Jail, Sector 51, in 2004.

Acting on the information that Sameer Malha and Jogdass were present in Sector 17, police laid a trap at the football stadium of Sector 17. According to information, two men entered the stadium at 2pm and sat on the stairs and started talking. The police nabbed them and recovered arms, including a 9mm pistol, 10 live cartridges, a 30-bore pistol and six live cartridges from them.

Hawara’s counsel AS Chahal’s argument was that the prosecution had no evidence to prove the case, and that their story is not believable. Also, the other two persons have already been acquitted.

According to Hawara’s counsel AS Chahal, two other accused in the case, were already acquitted in 2010 and Hawara got relief after a delay of 18 years.