Attempted assassination of Julio Ribeiro

On 3 October 1986, militants from the Khalistan Commando Force (KCF), led by Labh Singh, attempted to assassinate Julio Ribeiro, the Director General of Police in Punjab, India, at the Punjab Armored Police headquarters in Jalandhar. Ribeiro was wounded in the attack along with his wife; his injuries were minor, but his wife required hospitalization. Two police officers were killed and two others were seriously wounded. All the attackers escaped unharmed.

The attack occurred against the backdrop of the Punjab insurgency, which began following Operation Blue Star, a military operation against the Golden Temple and other Gurdwaras aimed at removing Sikh militants. According to independent estimates cited in the source material, the operation killed 5,000 civilians and was viewed by many Sikhs as an assault on their faith, prompting some to join the Khalistan movement as militant insurgents known as kharkus. Ribeiro was appointed chief of Punjab Police in late 1985 to suppress the insurgency and is credited with the "bullet for bullet" policy against militants, implemented after Labh Singh escaped from prison. The KCF was founded in early 1986 under the Sarbat Khalsa and Panthic Committee, with Manbir Singh Chaheru initially leading it before Labh Singh took over following Chaheru's disappearance in police custody. Killing Ribeiro was described as an early goal of the organization.

Planning for the assassination reportedly began in earnest after Labh Singh assumed leadership of the KCF in August 1986, with Wassam Singh and Dhanna Singh of the Panthic Committee identified as key planners. Several Punjab Police officers stationed at the Jalandhar headquarters had allegedly joined the KCF and conspired with Labh Singh, including Gurcharan Singh, Constable Sardul Singh, Constable Balwinder Singh, Constable Dalwinder Singh, Constable Kewal Singh, Head Constable Ajit Singh, and Head Constable Kulwant Singh. The group reportedly performed an ardas (prayer) on 15 September 1986 in preparation for the attack, which they framed as revenge for Ribeiro's role in alleged fake encounters targeting Sikh youth.

On the morning of the attack, six kharkus, several dressed in police uniforms and traveling in a police jeep, entered the headquarters. Armed with carbines and a machine gun, they opened fire on Ribeiro as he walked in the garden with his wife. Over 50 rounds were fired; a sentry was killed and another wounded, and additional officers were killed or wounded during the attackers' escape. No officer returned fire or pursued the attackers, who abandoned their jeep and fled in a truck.

The attack prompted criticism of Punjab Police security. Chief Minister Surjit Singh Barnala stated that the complex should have been the best-protected site in Punjab and described a "serious security lapse," suggesting the attackers had inside knowledge of the compound's layout.