Local helpers of Khalistan terrorists killed in Pilibhit on NIA, ATS radar

Security agencies on trail of pvt bus operator of Kheri, suspected of helping trio travel from Punjab to Pilibhit

- HT Correspondent

LUCKNOW: Pro-Khalistan sympathisers, who provided shelter to three alleged Khalistani terrorists gunned down in an encounter in Pilibhit on Monday, are on the radar of the UP ATS and the National Investigation Agency, said officials on Thursday.

Security agencies are trying to expose the existing nexus of pro-Khalistan supporters in the Terai belt, including Pilibhit, Lakhimpur Kheri, Shahjahanpur, Bareilly and Badaun. This region with a large population of Sikhs is said to be a safe haven for extremists.

In June, an alert was sounded when posters of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who led the Khalistan movement, and other separatists were put up outside gurudwaras in Pilibhit and Bareilly.