Brar attack: 2 accused to appear before UK court on Dec 7

Two Indian-origin men charged with causing grievous bodily harm to Lt Gen (retd) Kuldip Singh Brar, the hero of the 1984 Operation Blue Star, will appear before a United Kingdom court in London for the next hearing on December 7, the metropolitan police said on Tuesday.

"Whether they will plead guilty or not will be known on that day," a spokeswoman of the metropolitan police said.

Barjinder Singh Sangha, 33, of Wolverhampton and Mandeep Singh Sandhu, 34, of Great Barr, Birmingham appeared in custody at Westminster magistrates' court on Monday.

The two men have been charged with wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm on Brar in Old Quebec Street on September 30. Sangha has also been charged with common assault on Meena Brar, wife of Lt Gen Brar.

Brar, 78, who had led 'Operation Blue Star' in 1984 to flush out pro-Khalistan militants from the Golden Temple, was on a private visit here when he was attacked by four men, suspected to be Khalistan sympathisers, while he was returning to his hotel with his wife. He suffered a wound on his neck and cheek but his wife was not injured in the attack.

Meanwhile, a 27-year-old man, who was arrested on October 7 on suspicion of conspiracy to murder Brar, has now been bailed to return in November pending further enquirers, a police statement said.

In all 13 people, including two women, had been taken into custody following the assault on Brar. Eleven of them have been released on bail.