Chandigarh, Nov 11 (IANS): Rightwing Hindu activists claiming to be from the Shiv Sena Friday attacked Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) terrorists Jagtar Singh Hawara and Paramjit Singh Bheora inside the district court complex here.

The attack took place just as Hawara and Bheora, both convicted in the Aug 31, 1995 assassination case of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh, entered the court complex in Sector 17 here amid tight security.

The Hindu activists first shouted slogans against the terrorists and then one of them tried to hit Hawara.

However, Hawara hit back at his attacker even as Chandigarh police personnel and officers accompanying the terrorists tried to nab the attackers.

A police officer later said three people were taken into custody immediately after the attack on the terrorists.

Hawara was not injured in the attack.

Hawara and Bheora were brought to the court complex for a hearing in the sensational jailbreak case in January 2004. Both terrorists, along with another terrorist, Jagtar Singh Tara, and a murder convict, Devi Singh, had escaped from the high security Burail jail here by digging a 108-feet long tunnel from their barrack.

Hawara was a mastermind of the assassination of then Punjab chief minister Beant Singh at the high-security Punjab secretariat complex here.

The former chief minister (1992-95), who was largely credited with wiping out terrorism from Punjab by dealing with terrorists with an iron hand along with supercop K.P.S. Gill, was assassinated by a human bomb, Dilawar Singh, at the Punjab civil secretariat.