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On August 10, 1986, former Indian Army Chief Arun Sridhar Vaidya was assassinated. General Vaidya was the commander of Operation Blue Star in 1984. The investigation of this murder was handed over to CBI. It became easy for the CBI to solve this case when a weapon came into the hands of the police in a simple road accident, thereby connecting the links to the murder.
New Delhi. On August 10, 1986, former Indian Army Chief General Arun Shridhar Vaidya was shot dead by assailants on a motorcycle in a highly secured area of Pune. General Vaidya was the Army Chief of India from 1983 to 1986 and he led the ‘Operation Blue Star’ on the Golden Temple (Sri Harmandir Sahib) in 1984. His murder was considered a revenge for this operation. This case was handed over to CBI, for which the investigation was no less than a big challenge.
No concrete clues were found in the initial investigation by CBI. The attackers had carried out the murder with such precision that it became difficult for the Pune Police to connect the links. The investigation was transferred to the CBI in Delhi, where it was placed among the highest priority cases.
Secret of the murder of former army chief
The turning point in the entire investigation of the General Vaidya murder case came when an incredible accident occurred on 7 September 1986 in Pimpri-Chinchwad, Pune. In this incident, two persons on a motorcycle collided with a truck. When people tried to help him, he threatened to open fire on the crowd and fled from there. But an Inspector AI Pathan chased both of them and caught them. When both of them were being brought in the jeep, both of them raised slogans of Khalistani Zindabad.
On 7 September 1986, an incredible accident occurred in Pimpri-Chinchwad, Pune.
How did CBI find the big clue?
During police investigation, both admitted that they had murdered General Vaidya. Recovery of weapon in the motorcycle: During investigation, a weapon was recovered from the crashed motorcycle. This weapon was sent for forensic examination. The forensic report confirmed that the ballistic nature of the recovered pistol and the gun used to kill General Vaidya was identical. This was the first and most important physical evidence that helped lead to the killers.
Khalistani connection to the murder?
On the basis of weapon related clues, CBI successfully identified the killers. The crime was committed by two members of the Khalistani terrorist group ‘Khalistan Liberation Army’, named as Sukhdev Singh ‘Sukha’ and Harjinder Singh ‘Zinda’. Both of them were arrested in 1987. CBI presented a strong case in the court, which proved that the murder of General Vaidya was a revenge for Operation Blue Star. A Pune court sentenced both the convicts to death on 21 October 1989. He was hanged on 9 October 1992 in Yerwada Central Jail, Pune.
Who was with you at the time of the murder?
Let us tell you that on the morning of 10 August 1986, General Vaidya had gone for shopping with his wife and guard. Vaidya himself was driving the car, while his wife and guard were sitting in the car. When the car slowed down on the way, one of the two people riding the motorcycle, the one sitting behind, shot Vaidya. Vaidya’s wife also got shot in this attack. While Vaidya’s car overturned.
Vaidya and his wife were taken to the Command Hospital in Pune, where Vaidya was declared dead. The CBI’s success in this case shows how clues from a simple accident helped solve a high-profile and internationally sensitive murder case. General Vaidya had received Mahavir Chakra twice for the wars of 1965 and 1971.
