The Punjab Government has decided to set up an Anti-Terror Squad (ATS), as part of the State police's intelligence wing, to break the "nexus" of militants and gangsters operating from the State's prisons.
Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday gave his approval for forming such a squad. Besides, the Government is also mulling an effective law, like the Punjab Control of Organised Criminals Act (PCOCA), to deal with terror being unleashed by organized criminal gangs.
An official spokesperson said that these criminal gangs have been operating in the State for the past five to seven years with strong political patronage. "The ATS would have the mandate to act both against terrorist or militant outfits and criminal gangs," said the spokesperson.
Already, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has agreed, tentatively, to provide two companies of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) - the Central Armed Police Force - in exchange of a same number of Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) companies from Punjab to ensure security at the high-security or sensitive jails where hardcore terrorists and gangsters are lodged.
These additional companies will remain in the prisons for at least six months, the spokesperson said.
Notably, Capt Amarinder during his meeting with the Union Home Minister had raised concern about the growing nexus between militants and gangsters, pointing out that the jail staff, including superintendents or wardens, had been receiving constant threats from such elements.
This nexus had led to incidents like the Nabha jail-break, the Chief Minister had observed, urging the Home Minister's intervention to secure the prisons.
Besides, the State Government has also requested the judiciary to notify trial courts in jails to avoid frequent movement of members of top criminal gangs who are being targeted to settle inter-gang feuds and rivalries, he said.
On the police crackdown on terrorists and gangsters launched across the State on the Chief Minister's directives, the spokesperson said that since March 16, when Capt Amarinder Government took over, as many as 16 dreaded gangsters have been arrested.
"These included one of the escapees of Nabha jail-break and one gangster who had actively participated in the operation. So far, of the six Nabha jail escapees, four have been arrested, with seven of the 14 attackers also in police net, along with 11 harbourers, conspirators or facilitators," said the spokesperson.
The spokesperson added that the police crackdown has also led to the busting of two terrorist modules, leading to the arrest of four militants.
Capt Amarinder had issued strict directions to the police and intelligence agencies to come down heavily on all criminal gangs in the State, he said.
As of March 15, there were 22 organized criminal gangs operating in Punjab with 240 gang members, of which 137 gangsters were lodged in various jails in the State, the spokesperson said.
As per official data, 12 category 'A' gangsters and 10 category 'B' gangsters are still absconding.
These criminal gangs, many of which are patronized by political leadership, have been involved in inter-gang rivalry killings, contract killings, extortion from real estate developers or builders, drug smugglers or traders, bookies or satta-hawala dealers or liquor contractors or singers, land-grabbing, kidnapping for ransom and other serious crimes, including drug or arms smuggling.