Punjab Police, in a joint operation with the Border Security Force (BSF), conducted 10-hour long midnight domination or checking near the second line of defence in all the seven border districts of the state — Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Batala, Amritsar-Rural, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur and Fazilka — followed by search and cordon operation in the border villages on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday.
“At least 10-hour long midnight operation was held in all the seven border districts of Punjab to strengthen the security in these districts,” said the state Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav.
The operation took place at a time when Punjab, which shares 553 kms of international border with Pakistan, has been seeing a huge influx of consignments of drugs (heroin), arms and ammunition, explosives, grenades etc through drones and other means. This signals that major attempts are being made by anti-national elements to disturb the peace and communal harmony in the border state, said Yadav.
The state ADGP (Law and Order) Dr Naresh Arora, accompanied by IGP Border Range Mohnish Chawla and Amritsar Rural Senior Superintendent of Police Swapan Sharma, led the operation in different villages of Amritsar Rural, while seven more senior officers of Punjab Police, of the rank of Inspector Generals of Police (IGPs), Deputy Inspector Generals (DIGs), or Assistant Inspector Generals (AIGs), personally supervised the operation in seven border districts and guided the SSPs of these districts.
Sharing more details, DGP Yadav said that the operation included all-nights nakas at around 100 places in the border districts, followed by special search and cordon operations of the suspected houses and villages.
All the SSPs of the concerned districts have mobilised maximum manpower for this operation, he said, adding that as many as 60 Gazetted Officers and 2500 NGOs or EPOs, including 28 Armed Police Coys, were deputed to conduct this operation.
Calling for total synergy and teamwork between the BSF and Punjab Police, Yadav said that it is time that both the elite forces should work as one team to counter this new threat from across the borders.