Investigations into the Ranjeet Singh Nita module of the Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) have led Punjab Police to a Sikh soldier of the British Army who has served in Afghanistan, and is now suspected to be behind the recent grenade attacks on police establishments in Punjab.
Following the killing of three members of the KZF module in Pilibhit, Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav, in a post on X, identified the British Army soldier as Jagjeet Singh, who goes by the adopted name of Fateh Singh ‘Baagi’.
According to senior police officers, investigations have revealed that Jagjeet Singh comes from a military lineage in India, with roots in the Tarn Taran district of Punjab. Several of his relatives, including his grandfather, father and brother, have served in the Indian Army.
While it is clear that Jagjeet Singh served with the British Army at one point, it is yet to be ascertained from British authorities whether he is still in service. Normally, foreign agencies tend to deny any involvement of their citizens who are working in government establishments.
DGP Yadav in his post, however, described Jagjeet Singh as “based in the UK and serving in the British Army”.
Sources said Jagjeet Singh went to the UK around 10 years ago on a student visa and completed a degree in software engineering before enlisting in the British Army as a soldier.
As per the information gathered, he completed his basic training and joined the 4th Battalion of The Rifles, an infantry regiment of the British Army. He was soon deployed to Afghanistan where he served with his battalion.
The Rifles is a prominent British infantry regiment formed by merging four regiments: The Devonshire and Dorset Light Infantry, The Light Infantry, The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Light Infantry, and The Royal Green Jackets. It has four regular battalions and three in reserve, and the regiment has participated in military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo and Sierra Leone.
Jagjeet Singh’s grandfather had served in the Indian Army while his father retired as a Subedar. His brother is also understood to have served in the Sikh Regiment in the Indian Army.
He completed his studies at the University of East London before joining the British Army. He is an Amritdhari (baptised) Sikh and was permitted to retain symbols of his faith in the British Army.
According to police sources, this is the first instance of someone with links to the British Army being found to have led a terrorist module against India.
The involvement of Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI in the recruitment of Jagjeet Singh as a terror operative is not being ruled out.
While the antecedents of the three men killed in the encounter in Pilibhit are being ascertained, from what has been gathered until now, the Jagjeet Singh-Nita module has been unable to recruit individuals who are committed to the ideology of Khalistan.
The cut-away modules of this group, previously busted for grenade attacks, revealed that petty criminals had been recruited for lobbing grenades on police posts.
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