The National
Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday said that it has taken over the probe in
the murder case of Shaurya Chakra awardee Balwinder Singh Sandhu, who was shot
dead by two bikers in Punjab’s Tarn Taran district on October 16 last year, reports PTI.

According
to NIA, the Ministry of Home Affairs directed the anti-terror agency to take
over the investigation of the case considering the gravity of the offence and
its inter-state and international aftermath.

The case
was earlier being investigated by Punjab Police after a report under sections
of the IPC and the Arms Act was registered in Bhikhiwind police station on the
basis of Sandhu’s wife Jagdish Kaur’s statement.

According to a NIA spokesperson, the initial investigation by Punjab Police revealed that Sandhu was executed under a conspiracy hatched by Pakistan-based Khalistani Terrorist Lakvir Singh Rode and his handlers in Pakistani intelligence agency, ISI.

The
killing was executed by Sukhmeet Pal Singh of Gurdaspur, a gangster turned
terrorist, the NIA official added.

Sandhu, who fought terrorism in Punjab for years and faced at least 16 terror attacks during the height of Khalistani militancy in the state, was awarded Shaurya Chakra in 1993 by the Government of India.

On January 31, 1990 militants attacked the Sandhu family for
the first time. The family had faced the deadliest attack on September 30, 1990
when around 200 terrorists surrounded their house from all sides and attacked
them continuously for five hours with deadly weapons, including rocket
launchers, as per the award citation.

In
compliance with the Home Ministry’s directions, the NIA has re-registered the
case and officially taken over the Sandhu murder investigation.