Meerut (UP), Jul 22 (IANS): A guard working at a dairy farm in Hastinapur and an alleged Khalistan outfit suspect, has ended his life by suicide.
Paramjit Singh, 35, consumed poison two days after he was interrogated by NIA officials.
Hastinapur police station sub inspector A.K. Singh said that Paramjit had left for the dairy farm on Tuesday night and hours later, he was found lying unconscious, possibly by passers-by.
"He was alive when he was brought to the hospital. The doctors said he had consumed pesticide," the police said. His body has been sent for an autopsy.
Paramjit's father, Ajit Singh, told reporters, "Paramjit was taken away by the NIA on July 11 and let off the following day. He was summoned again on July 14. Then, on July 19, he was asked to reach NIA's Chandigarh office to record a statement. We got there and he was with them (NIA officials) for five hours. Later that evening, we left Chandigarh. When we were leaving, NIA officers told me they had 'explained everything' to Paramjit. All through the journey home I did everything I could to make him talk about what happened but he would not speak."
The arrest of an alleged gunrunner from Punjab, Gagandeep Singh on July 6 had set off a trail that led to Paramjit.
According to reports, Gagandeep had been booked in Punjab for allegedly supplying weapons to a man called Aarsh, believed to be close to the chief of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
The weapons were said to have been used for extortion.
The Union ministry of home affairs had in January identified KTF among outfits the NIA must investigate for "conspiracy to create an atmosphere of fear and lawlessness and cause disaffection in people and incite them towards rising in rebellion towards the government of India".
Gagandeep revealed his links with Paramjit and another man, Asif Ali, who was arrested on July 10.
A day later, Paramjit was called in for questioning. "During a search (at Paramjit's house in Hastinapur's Dudhali Khadar), cash amounting to Rs 9 lakh, mobile phones and incriminating documents were recovered," a NIA statement said on July 11.