A high level meeting of Punjab top brass, chaired by Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, on Tuesday reviewed the state’s internal security as well as law and order, but raised doubts about the authenticity of alleged intelligence reports suggesting an ISI project to target retired Army and Police officials in a bid to revive militancy in Punjab.
Even as he directed the top police and other officials of the government to ensure all possible steps to maintain peace and harmony in the state, the Chief Minister agreed with them that reports referring to intel inputs on such a project seemed far-fetched and removed from the ground realities.
The reports were not verified and could be false, those present in the meeting felt, with the Chief Minister asking the police to take all possible steps to verify such reports and check the spread of rumours, which could lead to panic among the people.
The Chief Minister, however, made it clear that his government would not allow the State’s peace and law and order to be disturbed at any cost, and asked the police to take any precautionary steps that might be needed at the current juncture.
The meeting comes a day after Punjab Police said that Pakistan-based Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) handler Harmeet Singh alias ‘Happy PhD’ was plotting to carry out a Rajasansi-like attack on the anniversary of the Operation Bluestar.
The disclosure came on the heels of seizure of smuggled hand grenades at Kukranwala Adda in Amritsar district’s Ajnala subdivision. After initial investigations, police said that Harmeet ‘PhD’, also a suspect in the grenade attack on a prayer congregation at the Nirankari Bhawan in Rajasansi, was believed to be behind the smuggling of the hand grenades from Pakistan.
Police officials briefed the Chief Minister on the incident and informed the meeting that further probe was on to ascertain more details about the make of the grenades and the smuggling route.
Besides, the Intelligence agencies have also submitted a report to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs claiming that Khalistan activists, residing in Canada, had been assigned the task of reviving militancy in Punjab by asking them to target retired police officers and Army veterans to incite violence in the state.