Jaswinder Singh Multani is believed to be a close associate of SFJ founder Gurpatwant Singh Pannu

Jaswinder Singh Multani, a member of the banned separatist outfit Sikhs for Justice, has been detained in Germany for his alleged involvement in the December 23 Ludhiana court blast, sources told India Today.

On December 23, an explosion at the District and Sessions court complex in Ludhiana claimed the life of one person, while five others were injured. The deceased was later identified as the attacker Gagandeep, a dismissed cop from Khanna in Punjab.

According to sources, Jaswinder Singh Multani was also planning to target Delhi and Mumbai.

Acting on a tip off, the Punjab Police shared input about Multani with the central agencies. According to intelligence inputs, Multani was planning to send explosive material from Pakistan for Punjab-based operatives to carry out terrorist activities.

There have been recent FIRs against Multani in Ferozpur, Amritsar and Taran Taran districts of Punjab.

45-year-old Jaswinder Singh Multani is believed to be a close associate of SFJ founder Gurpatwant Singh Pannu and is reportedly involved in separatist activities.

Multani had allegedly conspired to kill farmer leader Balbir Singh Rajewal at Singhu border during the farmers' protest. He also allegedly radicalised one Jeevan Singh to kill Rajewal.

The Delhi Police Special Cell had arrested Jeevan Singh even before the weapon was supplied to him from Madhya Pradesh.

It was around this time that Multani's name had cropped in front of the special cell, sources said.

The special cell had informed the central agency about Multani and asked Rajewal to take security.

Jeevan Singh was tracked by the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Delhi Police through social media, following which he was caught in Maharashtra. He was later handed over to the Punjab Police.

On searching his phone, the agencies came to know that Jeevan Singh was in contact with Sikhs for Justice and Multani in Germany. Their motive was to disturb the law and order by killing a farmer leader Rajewal on the Singhu border.

Sources said that the court blast conspiracy was planned in a jail in Ludhiana. The Punjab Police is also looking to corroborate the technical intelligence as they suspect that the conspirators in jail were in touch over the phone using secret apps. They believe that the dongle found at the blast site, which was allegedly used by the accused for accessing the internet, was used inside jail as well.

In 2019, the Centre banned SFJ under the UA(P) Act for promoting separatist agenda and violent militancy in Punjab. Their activities were aimed at creating a divide between communities and disturbing the peace and communal harmony in Punjab.