June 25, 1986: Seven Killed in Punjab, 34 Sri Lankan Fisherfolk Feared Dead
On June 25, 1986, seven people, including three suspected militants, lost their lives in Punjab amid ongoing violence. The state witnessed police firing and extended curfew in Amritsar as mob violence continued. Among the dead were Ranjit Singh, self-styled chief of the Khalistan Armed Force, and Gurmej Singh, both proclaimed offenders, who were killed in an encounter with Punjab Police and Border Security Force (BSF) in Gurdaspur district. A third militant, Makhan Singh Chit, was also killed in the exchange of fire.
In a separate incident off the coast of Sri Lanka, at least 34 Sri Lankan Tamil fisherfolk were feared killed after being shot while attempting to flee to India following a ban on fishing in the lagoons of the northern Jaffna peninsula. Twenty-one bodies with gunshot wounds were recovered, including 15 from the boat "Annaimeri" that drifted to Nachchikuda near Mannar, and six washed ashore. The remaining 13 were still missing and presumed dead. The Sri Lankan civil war, which had escalated in the 1980s, led to many Tamils seeking refuge in India.
In response to the unrest, Punjab Chief Minister Surjit Singh Barnala announced that joint contingents of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Punjab Police would be deployed in sensitive areas to address misunderstandings between the two forces. A meeting of senior officers resolved differences that had earlier led to a clash between CRPF and police personnel, with a case registered against some CRPF men.
In national news, Mohsina Kidwai was appointed as the new Transport Minister in Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's cabinet, replacing Bansi Lal, who had been moved to Haryana as Chief Minister. Kidwai had previously served as Minister of Health and Family Planning.
