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{{Short description|1986 shooting in Jalandhar, India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox civilian attack
| title =
| location = Punjab Armored Police Headquarters, [[Jalandhar]], India
| date = {{Start date and age|df=yes|1986|10|03}}
| partof = [[Insurgency in Punjab]]
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| coordinates =
| time = 6:45 a.m.
| timezone =
| target = [[Julio Ribeiro (police officer)]]
| type = Shooting
| weapons = [[Carbine]]s, [[machine gun]]s
| fatalities = 2 officers killed
| injuries = 4 officers, [[Julio Ribeiro]]
| perpetrator = [[Khalistan Commando Force]]
| motive =
| verdict =
| charges =
}}
On 3 October 1986, militants from the [[Khalistan Commando Force]], led by [[Labh Singh]], made an attempt on the life of [[Director general of police|Director General of Police]] in [[Punjab, India]], [[Julio Ribeiro (police officer)|Julio Ribeiro]] in [[Jalandhar]] within the [[Punjab Police (India)|Punjab Armored Police]] headquarters. Ribeiro was wounded in the attack along with his wife. Ribeiro's wounds were minor, but his wife was hospitalized. 2 officers were killed and 2 were seriously wounded in the attack. All the attackers escaped unhurt.<ref name="indiatoday.in3">{{Cite news |title=Punjab Police chief Julio Francis Ribeiro narrowly escapes terror attack |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/19861031-punjab-police-chief-julio-francis-ribeiro-narrowly-escapes-terror-attack-801364-1986-10-30 |access-date=2023-06-01 |website=India Today |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":12">{{Cite web |title=Manjit Singh v. The State Of Punjab And Ors., Punjab & Haryana High Court, Judgment, Law, casemine.com |url=https://www.casemine.com/judgement/in/56b49483607dba348f00c921 |access-date=2024-04-19 |website=www.casemine.com |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":13">{{Cite book |last=Ribeiro |first=Julio |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=89gqAAAACAAJ |title=Bullet for Bullet: My Life as a Police Officer |date=1999 |publisher=Penguin Books |isbn=978-0-14-027140-9 |pages=297–298 |language=en}}</ref>

== Background ==
The [[insurgency in Punjab, India]] began with [[Operation Blue Star]] which saw a military attack on the [[Golden Temple]] and numerous other [[Gurdwara]]s.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |year=2009 |title=India |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |editor-last=Wolpert |editor-first=Stanley A.}}</ref> The aim of the Operation was to flush out Sikh militants from Gurdwaras,<ref>{{Cite news |title=How the Akalis let Bhindranwale take over the Golden Temple |url=https://scroll.in/article/666329/how-the-akalis-let-bhindranwale-take-over-the-golden-temple |work=Scroll.in |quote=The SGPC president, Mr Tohra and the moderate leadership of the Akalis helped Bhindranwale; otherwise nobody can live in the premises of the Golden Temple without the permission of the SGPC president. After all, Bhindranwale did not just walk in.}}</ref> but it caused great damage to the Golden Temple and, according to independent estimates, 5,000 civilians were killed in the operation.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Grewal |first1=J. S. |author1-link=J. S. Grewal |url=https://archive.org/details/sikhsofpunjab0000grew |title=The Sikhs of the Punjab (The New Cambridge History of India II.3) |date=1998 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1316025338 |edition=Revised |location=Cambridge |pages=205–241 |access-date=16 April 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Karim |first1=Afsir |title=Counter Terrorism, the Pakistan Factor |date=1991 |publisher=Lancer Publishers |isbn=978-8170621270 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QoqwQb38SQEC|page=35}}</ref><ref name="whathappenedbluestar">{{cite news | title=What happened during 1984 Operation Blue Star? |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/fyi/story/1984-operation-blue-star-amritsar-1251681-2018-06-06 |access-date=9 February 2021 |website=India Today |language=en |quote=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.}}</ref> The Operation was viewed by a large amount of Sikhs as an attack on the faith some of whom became [[kharku]]s (militant insurgents) and joined the [[Khalistan movement]] and began an insurgency.<ref name="Kiss_Khalistan">{{cite book |last1=Kiss |first1=Peter A. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uIY6AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA100 |title=Winning Wars amongst the People: Case Studies in Asymmetric Conflict |date=2014 |publisher=Potomac Books |isbn=978-1612347004 |edition=Illustrated |page=100}}</ref> Ribeiro was made the chief of Punjab Police in late 1985 to bring an end to the insurgency. He was created with making the "bullet for bullet" policy to combat Kharkus in reaction to Labh Singh's breaking out of prison.<ref name="nytenvoy">{{cite news |last=GARGAN |first=EDWARD |date=10 October 1991 |title=ENVOY OF ROMANIA ABDUCTED IN INDIA |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/10/10/world/envoy-of-romania-abducted-in-india.html |access-date=2009-05-31 |work=The New York Times}}</ref>

In early 1986 Khalistan Commando Force was founded by the [[Sarbat Khalsa]] and Panthic Committee. It was the "official" army of the Khalistan movement.<ref name="Pettigrew 1995 822">{{Cite book |last=Pettigrew |first=Joyce J. M. |url=http://archive.org/details/sikhsofpunjabunh0000pett |title=The Sikhs of the Punjab : unheard voices of State and guerrilla violence |date=1995 |publisher=London; Atlantic Highlands, N.J. : Zed Books |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-1-85649-355-0 |pages=82}}</ref> [[Manbir Singh Chaheru]] was made the leader in February 1986.<ref>{{cite book |author=Stephen E. Atkins |author-link=Stephen E. Atkins |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b8k4rEPvq_8C&pg=PA242 |title=Encyclopedia of Modern Worldwide Extremists and Extremist Groups |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-313-32485-7 |page=242}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Cynthia Keppley Mahmood |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wA3yjdgyY9kC&pg=RA2-PA153 |title=Fighting for Faith and Nation: Dialogues with Sikh Militants |date=November 1996 |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |isbn=0-8122-1592-3 |pages=152–153}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Birinder Pal Singh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=saGFAAAAMAAJ |title=Violence as Political Discourse |publisher=Indian Institute of Advanced Study |year=2002 |isbn=9788179860069}}</ref> After his disappearance in police custody Labh Singh took over.<ref name="encycloextreme">{{Cite book |last=Atkins |first=Stephen E. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b8k4rEPvq_8C |title=Encyclopedia of modern worldwide extremists and extremist groups |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |year=2004 |isbn=9780313324857 |edition=illustrated |page=242 |access-date=26 June 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Another key leader dies but terrorism survives in Punjab |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/indiascope/story/19880815-another-key-leader-dies-but-terrorism-survives-in-punjab-797572-1988-08-14 |access-date=2023-05-20 |website=India Today |date=15 August 1988 |language=en}}</ref> The earlies goal of KCF was the killing of Ribeiro.<ref name=":14">Asi Attwadi Nahi by Harjinder Singh Jinda and Sukhdev Singh Sukha page 100-103</ref>

=== Planning ===
According to [[Harjinder Singh Jinda]] he and fellow members of KCF had always aspired to assassinate Ribeiro, but planning for such did not begin until Labh Singh took over KCF in August 1986.<ref name=":14" /> Wassam Singh and Dhanna Singh of the Panthic Committee were key members in the planning of the assassination. Labh Singh was said to be the mastermind.<ref name=":15">{{Cite web |date=1986-11-15 |title=Assassination attempt on Julio Ribeiro a clear indictment of intelligence agencies |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/indiascope/story/19861115-assassination-attempt-on-julio-ribeiro-a-clear-indictment-of-intelligence-agencies-801457-1986-11-14 |access-date=2024-04-19 |website=India Today |language=en}}</ref> Multiple officers working at Punjab Armored Police headquarters in Jalandhar had joined KCF and began plotting with Labh Singh on how to kill Ribeiro. Gurcharan Singh, [[Constable]] Sardul Singh, Constable Balwinder Singh, Constable Dalwinder Singh, Constable Kewal Singh, [[Head constable|Head Constable]] Ajit Singh, and Head Constable Kulwant Singh of the Punjab Police along with Labh Singh offered an [[Ardās|ardas]] on 15 September for their goal of killing Ribeiro in revenge for Ribeiro's role in [[Encounter killing|fake encounters]] which targeted Sikh youth.<ref name=":12" /><ref name=":15" /> The kharkus would usually meet at Ajit Singh's home planning escape routes and details of the attack. Balwinder Singh acquired the weapons for the attack a few days before.<ref name=":15" />

== Attack ==
On 3 October 1986, 6 Kharkus<ref name="indiatoday.in3"/> attacked Ribeiro as he walked in the Punjab Armored Police's headquarters' garden along with wife. At 6:45 am Dalwinder Singh, Balwinder Singh, Sardul Singh and Ajit Singh armed with [[Carbine]]s and Dhanna Singh, with a machine gun, drove to the gate of the headquarters in a police jeep, numbering 471 PAT, driven by Vijaypal Singh.<ref name=":12" /><ref name=":15" /> All were in police uniform. One of them exited the jeep and asked an officer for their weapon to inspect it. Upon getting it he and 3 other Kharkus scaled a mound and opened fire on Ribeiro who ducked in cover. They further shot dead a sentry and injured another one. Over 50 rounds were fired. While fleeing they killed another officer and wounded one more. The Kharkus abandoned the jeep near the headquarters and fled in a truck.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-12-29 |title=Gunmen Miss Police Chief In Attack |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1986/10/03/gunmen-miss-police-chief-in-attack/3b97b7cf-5258-4d6a-b990-d1b2041f727a/ |access-date=2024-04-19 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}</ref><ref name=":13" /><ref name=":12" /><ref name=":16">{{Cite web |title=Punjab Police chief Julio Francis Ribeiro narrowly escapes terror attack |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/19861031-punjab-police-chief-julio-francis-ribeiro-narrowly-escapes-terror-attack-801364-1986-10-30 |access-date=2024-04-19 |website=India Today |date=31 October 1986 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Tempest |first=Rone |date=4 October 1986 |title=Aide Battling Sikh Terrorism Survives Attack |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-10-04-mn-4029-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Tempest |first=Rone |date=1986-10-04 |title=Aide Battling Sikh Terrorism Survives Attack |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-10-04-mn-4029-story.html |access-date=2024-04-19 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> No officer fired a shot in return or attempted to chase the Kharkus.<ref name=":16" /> In the attack 2 officers were killed. Ribeiro escaped wounded, and his wife was hospitalized. 4 other officers were wounded.<ref name=":16" /><ref name=":12" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Bhatnagar |first=Ved |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=czhuAAAAMAAJ |title=Challenges to India's Integrity: Terrorism, Casteism, Communalism |date=1998 |publisher=Rawat Publications |isbn=978-81-7033-442-2 |pages=207 |language=en}}</ref>

== Aftermath ==
The attack led to criticism on Punjab Police's readiness.<ref name=":16" /> [[List of chief ministers of Punjab, India|Chief Minister of Punjab]] [[Surjit Singh Barnala]] said, 'The complex should have been the best protected place in Punjab. There has been a definite, serious security lapse. The guards were not trained, they were not cautious. Somebody inside knew the entire set-up. The terrorists knew which side they should go, even the passage through the barbed wire. Since our increased onslaught on the terrorists, they have been eager for actions that will give them publicity mileage."<ref name=":16" />

==References==

{{Reflist}}
{{Khalistan movement}}

[[Category:Khalistan movement]]
[[Category:Insurgency in Punjab]]
[[Category:Failed assassination attempts in India]]
[[Category:1986 in India]]
[[Category:Deaths by firearm in India]]
[[Category:Victims of the insurgency in Punjab]]
[[Category:People murdered in India]]
[[Category:1980s in Punjab, India]]
[[Category:Crime in Punjab, India]]
[[Category:October 1986 in India]]
[[Category:1986 murders in India]]
[[Category:Religiously motivated violence in India]]
[[Category:Sikh terrorism in India]]
[[Category:Sikh terrorist incidents]]

Attempted assassination of Julio Ribeiro - Revision history

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