At Nahali village in Pilakhuwa Dehat. (Express Photos by Gajendra Yadav) At Nahali village in Pilakhuwa Dehat. (Express Photos by Gajendra Yadav)

A joint team of the National Investigating Agency (NIA) and the Uttar Pradesh Police, carrying out searches in a Ghaziabad village in connection with the killing of an RSS leader in Punjab, was fired upon and pelted with stones by a mob. The agency said that a UP Police constable sustained a bullet injury in the firing.

“During the investigation into the killing of RSS leader Ravinder Gosain in Ludhiana, the names of certain suspects had figured regarding supply of firearms to the accused in Punjab. The NIA team, with the assistance of the UP Police, conducted a search to apprehend the suspect, Malook, in Nahali village in Pilakhuwa Dehat on Sunday morning,” an NIA spokesperson said.

During the raid, a large crowd of men and women tried to obstruct the police and NIA team and some people opened fire at them, resulting in injury to Uttar Pradesh Police constable Tahjib Khan, besides damage to official vehicles, the spokesperson said. The firing was reportedly followed by stone pelting and the mob also staged multiple road blockades to obstruct the officials in discharge of their duties.

In self-defence, the UP Police and NIA personnel also fired in the air, the spokesperson said, adding that two suspects are currently being questioned regarding their alleged involvement in the case. Efforts are on to locate Malook, who is wanted in connection with the supply of arms and ammunition used in the killing in Punjab, the spokesperson added.

On November 30, the NIA registered the case to probe the killing of Gosain under various sections of the IPC and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Gosain, the ‘Mukhya Shikshak’ of the Mohan shakha of the RSS, was shot dead outside his residence in Ludhiana’s Gagandeep Colony on the morning of October 17 by two unidentified assailants riding a motorbike. The Punjab Police, which was earlier probing the case, arrested two people — Ramandeep Singh and Hardeep Singh — a few days after the incident.

“It has also come to light that a conspiracy to destabilise Punjab has been hatched by Sikh extremist elements and others located in various parts of the world including the United Kingdom, France, Italy, United Arab Emirates and Pakistan,” the NIA spokesperson had said. He added that investigation conducted so far has revealed channelling of funds from foreign countries for execution of these incidents. The conspiracy also included an element of ideological brainwashing and incitement of the accused on religious grounds by their mentors settled abroad.

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