Chandigarh, July 27 (The Telegraph): Baljit Singh, the SP who led the initial operation in Gurdaspur's Dinanagar today and died fighting the terrorists, was the son of an inspector killed in a hit-and-run allegedly engineered by pro-Khalistan militants at the height of militancy in 1984.

Baljit, in his early fifties, was posted as SP (detective department) in Gurdaspur, having arrived there a few months ago from Chandigarh where he was part of Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal's security.

Today, Baljit was at the forefront of the team trying to enter the building from where the terrorists were firing when he was hit by a hail of bullets. He died on the spot.

"The moment he received word about the attack, Baljit rushed to Dinanagar from Gurdaspur town with only a handful of constables and confronted the terrorists who had sophisticated weapons. He went down for his country but not without a fight," a Gurdaspur officer said.

Baljit had joined the force as an assistant sub-inspector in 1987, having bagged the job on compassionate grounds after his father Achar Singh was run over.

Baljit was described as an upright officer by his seniors, a track record they said had helped him earn a slot in chief minister Badal's security apparatus.

Badal said the officer and the three other cops killed today were "martyrs to the cause of peace and patriotism".

In Kapurthala, Baljit's home around 120km away, his wife Kulwant had not been informed about his death till late this evening as she is a heart patient. Other than Kulwant, the officer is survived by son Maninder, 24, and daughters Parminder, 22, and Ravinder, 20. Baljit's last rites are likely to be performed tomorrow.

The state government has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each for the families of the four cops, besides a job for one member of each family.

Photo credit: The Telegraph