The Punjab government on Tuesday said the police foiled Pakistan-based Khalistan outfit's plan to carry out a grenade attack ahead of the 35th anniversary of Operation Blue Star on June 6.

The brain behind the plot, according to the police sources, was Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) handler Harmeet Singh alias Happy PHD .The disclosure came on the heels of seizure of smuggled hand grenades at Kukranwala Adda in Amritsar district's Ajnala subdivision on Sunday.

"Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) handler Harmeet Singh alias 'Happy PhD' was plotting to carry out a Rajasansi-like attack, in which three people were killed after militants hurled a grenade on a prayer congregation at the Nirankari Bhawan, on the anniversary of the Operation Bluestar. Harmeet 'PhD', also a suspect in the Rajasansi attack, is believed to be behind the smuggling of the hand grenades from Pakistan," a state government spokesperson said.

Operation Blue Star was the biggest internal security mission ever undertaken by the Indian Army. Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India, ordered the military operation to remove Sikh militants who were accumulating weapons in the Harmandir Sahib Complex (Golden Temple). Operation Blue Star was carried out between June 1 and June 8, 1984, in Amritsar. Official reports put the number of deaths among the Indian army at 83 and the number of civilian deaths at 492, though independent estimates ran much higher.

How the attack was foiled

Sunday's incident came to light after the Punjab Police launched a search for two men who fled after throwing a bag containing two hand grenades when they were asked to stop at a check post near an Indo-Pak border village

Two motorcycle-borne men were signalled to stop at the check post on Sunday. They fled after throwing their bag containing hand grenades when policemen at the check post tried to nab them, senior superintendent of police, Amritsar (rural), Vikarmjit Singh Duggal, said.

He said the recovery of hand grenades, along with a mobile phone, pointed to the role of a militant outfit, Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF).

"Harpreet Singh alias Happy PhD (who is believed to be based in Pakistan) of KLF is instigating unemployed youth in Punjab through social media to create disturbance," he said.

Amarinder Singh dismisses ISI project to target retired Army and Police officials

A high-level meeting of the state's top brass, chaired by Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, on Tuesday reviewed the state's internal security and law and order but raised doubts about the authenticity of alleged intel reports suggesting a project launched by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence to target retired Army and Police officials in a bid to revive militancy in Punjab.

Even as Amarinder Singh directed top police and government officials to ensure all possible steps to maintain peace and harmony in the state, he agreed with them that reports referring to intel inputs the ISI project seemed far-fetched and removed from the ground realities.

"The reports were not verified and could be false, the meeting felt, with the Chief Minister asking the police to take all possible steps to verify such reports and check the spread of rumours, which could lead to panic among the people," a government spokesperson said.

The chief minister, however, made it clear that his government would not allow the state's peace and law & order to be disturbed at any cost, and asked the police to take any precautionary steps that might be needed at the current juncture.

(With PTI inputs)