Jagtar Singh Tara, convicted of murder of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, was produced in Jalandhar court today through video conferencing. A case under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and Arms Act was registered against Tara in Goraya police station of Jalandhar district. On Wednesday, May 22, 2024, the court acquitted Jagtar Singh Tara in Beant Singh’s murder case.
Earlier there was discussion that Tara would be brought to the court, but then Tara's appearance took place through video conferencing. Jagtar Singh Tara's lawyer KS Hundal said that in the year 2012, a case was registered against Tara in the Goraya police station. There was a debate in the court on 20th, after which the court had fixed the hearing for today. Today, Tara was acquitted in the court. =
Beant Singh murderers’ prison break in 2004:
The accused in Beant Singh murder case, Jagtar Singh Tara, Paramjit Singh Bhayura, were lodged in Barrack No. 7 of Budail Jail. Them along with their cook and Dev Singh Devi, another involved in the murder case, had escaped from jail in the midnight of 20/21 January in 2004 by digging a tunnel.
The accused had dug a 94 feet long tunnel inside the barrack by uprooting the toilet seat. Only one person could go in this tunnel at a time. To prevent the soil from falling here and there while digging the tunnel, the accused used to coat it with soil simultaneously. The tunnel was dug till the wall of Budail Jail, after reaching which the accused escaped by jumping over the wall.
The accused had opened the mouth of the tunnel towards the fields. After leaving from there, they reached a distance of 15-20 steps and ran away by jumping over the wall. There were pieces of glass on the wall, but the accused fled after covering them with a cloth.
Former Punjab CM Beant Singh Assassination
Beant Singh was assassinated in a bomb blast at the secretariat complex in Chandigarh on 31 August 1995. The blast claimed the lives of 17 others, including 3 Indian commandos. Beant Singh was accompanied by his close friend Ranjodh Singh Mann on the day of assassination. On 7 January 2015, Jagtar Singh Tara who is alleged to be the mastermind in assassination of Singh was arrested by Thai Police in Bangkok after a request by the Indian investigative agency.
Beant Singh's grandson, Ravneet Singh Bittu will be contesting the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 from Ludhiana on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket.