On Thursday, a National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Chandigarh declared Jaswinder Singh Multani a wanted terrorist and a Proclaimed Offender (PO) after he failed to appear before the court, despite repeated summons in a case related to terrorism.
Multani is a key accused in a 2022 case where an explosive device was found close to the perimeter wall of the high security Burail Jail in Chandigarh, Multani, who is associated with the pro-Khalistan Sikhs for Justice organisation, is a fugitive and reportedly resides in Germany. He is wanted for conspiring to carry out terrorist attacks- including the Ludhiana court blast- in India in close coordination with Pakistan’s intelligence Agency, ISI. In January 2021, the NIA announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh for information relating to his whereabouts. A more recent notice released by the NIA provides detailed information about Multani and requests the public’s assistance in his
arrest. In late April 2022, a Chandigarh Police Inspector was patrolling along with a Quick Reaction Team (QRT) of the Operations Cell when they discovered a fire at the bushes close to the back wall of Burail Jail. They also found a suspicious looking object that looked like an IED and a detonator.The fire was extinguished before it reached the object, which was discovered to be a tiffin box. According to NIA documents, explosive substance was recovered from the tiffin box along with detonator, a black colour mobile handset, and a black colour bag. Multani is believed to be residing in Erfurt, Germany, where he operates a business. In December 2022, he was briefly detained by the German Police for questioning based on information provided by the NIA, but was subsequently released.
The NIA has registered a case under Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 121A (conspiracy to commit offence) of the IPC and Sections 10, 13, 17, 18 and 18B of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, against Multani and his other associates.
