New Delhi: The British Army Tuesday told ThePrint that there is no one with either the name of Jagjeet Singh or his pseudonym — who is currently serving in their force. A British Army spokesperson, however, said that a photo published by media outlets is indeed of a British Sikh soldier, but his name is not Jagjeet Singh.
After an encounter by a joint team of UP and Punjab police Monday left three suspected Khalistan Zindabad Force operatives dead, Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav said the banned outfit was controlled by Ranjeet Singh Nita, the chief of KZF, in association with Greece-based Jaswinder Singh Mannu and Jagjeet Singh. Yadav said Jagjeet Singh was reportedly serving in the British Army.
Denying the DGP’s statement on Jagjeet Singh, the British Army spokesperson told ThePrint, “There is no one with either the name or pseudonym provided currently serving in the British Army. We have had no approach from Indian authorities about anyone in the Army being involved in the incident you reference in any way.”
The spokesperson, however, added that the image posted by media outlets is “of a British Sikh soldier whose name does not match any of those provided, even given variations in spelling”. It further said that “any investigations into criminal or terrorist activity in India are a matter for the Indian civil and military authorities.”
In a video statement released hours after the alleged encounter, Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav had said that Ravi belonged to Agwan — the village from where Jaswinder Singh Mannu hails and that “he was being controlled and masterminded by UK based Jagjeet Singh, reported to be working in the British Army and using assumed identity Fateh Singh Baghi, using which he also claimed the responsibility of the grenade attack”.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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