A red alert has been sounded in Punjab in the wake of high threat perception for the Republic Day celebrations, with over 15,000 cops deployed to oversee law and order in the state.
Punjab special DGP (law & order) Arpit Shukla said that special operations are being launched in all the districts of the state.
A news agency quoted Shukla: “A red alert has been declared in Punjab given the Republic Day celebrations. Special operations are being launched in all the districts of Punjab. The senior officers have been sent to the fields to inspect the security arrangements. Checking is being done in all the districts of the state to keep an eye on gangsters, smugglers, and anti-social elements.”
Shukla said the district police have been provided with the additional force to deploy in the security arrangements and for a vigil on the inter-district and inter-state borders.
“We make special security arrangements every Republic Day and Independence Day as various elements often try to exploit the situation. This year too, heavy security arrangements have been put in place to ensure smooth celebrations of Republic Day. Searches are being made at all sensitive points by special teams,” Shukla said.
Special DGP’s statement came amid a last-minute change of venue from Faridkot to Patiala for chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s January 26 event. The change came hours after pro-Khalistan slogans were found written on the walls near the Nehru Stadium, the venue for the CM’s January 26 function at Faridkot.
{{/usCountry}}Special DGP’s statement came amid a last-minute change of venue from Faridkot to Patiala for chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s January 26 event. The change came hours after pro-Khalistan slogans were found written on the walls near the Nehru Stadium, the venue for the CM’s January 26 function at Faridkot.
{{/usCountry}}In a purported video, pro-Khalistan leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun of the banned outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) claimed responsibility for this alleged act, while issuing threats to the Punjab. CM. Pannun had been designated as a terrorist by the Union home ministry under the anti-terror law.
Shukla denied SFJ’s threats were behind changing the venue of the CM event.
“Venue was changed from Faridkot to Patiala purely because of administrative reasons,” Shukla said.
Meanwhile, a high-ranking police official said that this year the heightened security arrangements have been made because of a series of recent blasts on police installations by the pro-Khalistan elements.
“Moreover, various farmer unions have also given a call for tractor march on January 26, which has also been kept in mind while issuing an alert,” said a senior official deployed in a district on the condition of anonymity.