CHANDIGARH, Aug 5: A day after busting two ISI-backed cross-border terror modules, Punjab Police on Wednesday revealed that one of the groups had allegedly planned to carry out an attack at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar during the recent student protests over the NEET issue.
According to police, members of the module had travelled to the protest site with logistical support arranged by their Pakistan-based handlers and were provided materials to prepare petrol bombs. However, the alleged plot could not be executed, and the accused were later arrested during the crackdown on the terror modules.
Amritsar Commissioner of Police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said the module operated under the directions of ISI-backed handlers, who facilitated travel and logistical support for the suspects.
“The handler arranged logistical support, and some members of the module visited Jantar Mantar during the protest. They were supplied with materials to make petrol bombs but failed to carry out their plan before being apprehended,” Bhullar told.
On Tuesday, Punjab Police arrested nine accused, including four juveniles, after dismantling the two terror modules. During the operation, police recovered three illegal pistols, four petrol bombs and nine live cartridges.
Police said preliminary investigations indicate that the accused were acting on the instructions of foreign-based ISI handlers who were attempting to recruit local youth for terror-related activities, conduct surveillance of security installations, procure illegal weapons and disrupt public peace.
Bhullar said one of the modules had also been tasked with conducting reconnaissance of security establishments and uniformed personnel, recording videos of sensitive locations and sharing them with their handlers. The group was also allegedly instructed to target police and other security personnel.
He expressed concern over the involvement of juveniles, saying they were being lured into anti-national activities. According to police, funds for the modules were routed through hawala and other illegal channels.
The disclosure comes in the backdrop of the 36-day student protest at Jantar Mantar led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) over the NEET examination issue, which ended following the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Investigators have also uncovered the installation of surveillance cameras near railway tracks, indicating broader reconnaissance activities by the terror network.
