Jagtar Singh Tara, main accused in the assassination of former Punjab chief minister (CM) Beant Singh, confessed on Monday that co-accused Dilawar Singh was the mastermind in the case and assassination was carried out on the instructions from him.
Defending other accused Jagtar Hawara, Tara claimed before the court that he was not the mastermind of this conspiracy. Tara recorded his statement in the court of additional district and sessions judge JS Sidhu during the resumed hearing of the case in Burail jail.
The recording of his statement completed on Monday and the final arguments in the matter will come up for hearing on March 9. The CBI counsel had put 162 questions to the accused Jagtar Singh Tara.
Tara along with two others had fled from the central jail in Burail, while main accused was still on trial. In February 2004, non-bailable warrants were issued against him and in May 2004, he was declared a proclaimed offender.
The then chief minister of Punjab Beant Singh was killed in an explosion outside the Civil Secretariat in Chandigarh on August 31, 1995. Punjab police employee Dilawar Singh had acted as a human bomb in the incident. The police had taken nine accused in custody, out of which, the fate of eight has been already decided.
