DGP Suresh Arora to camp in Amritsar

With some ‘Panthic’ groups adamant on holding the “Sarbat Khalsa” (Sikh congregation) here on November 10 (Tuesday), Punjab director general of police (DGP) Suresh Arora will camp in the holy city to ensure peace.

With some ‘Panthic’ groups adamant on holding the “Sarbat Khalsa” (Sikh congregation) here on November 10 (Tuesday), Punjab director general of police (DGP) Suresh Arora will camp in the holy city to ensure peace.

Punjab director general of police (DGP) Suresh Arora will camp in the holy city to ensure peace. (HT photo)

Already four companies of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) are deployed in Amritsar, where cops have installed six-to-seven surveillance cameras each at key locations such as Hall Gate (central market), Jallianwala Bagh and Sheranwala Gate (the road to the Golden Temple starts here). The DGP will get here on Monday and monitor the situation from a special control room fed with live pictures from the field. Additional DGP (law and order) Rohit Choudhary is expected by Sunday evening.

Police barricades in the Kot Mit Singh area will resist any march into the city from the congregation’s venue near Chabba village. On Sunday, top police officers from the district and the border range had long discussions over the security plan for Tuesday. Amritsar police commissioner Jatinder Singh Aulakh, who has been conducting these meetings since Saturday, said: “We will not let anyone disturb peace.”

Deputy inspector general (border range) Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh said some extra force would also be called from outside. Chabba is in the Amritsar border range jurisdiction. Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) president Simranjit Singh Mann and Mohkam Singh of the United Akali Dal (UAD) lead the “Sarbat Khalsa” preparations. They have rejected the appeals from the Akal Takht and the Sant Samaj to call off the event.

Security plan

2,000 cops called from outside

4 companies of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) deployed

5 companies of Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) and Punjab Armed Police (PAP) also stationed

Flag marches being organised in various parts of the city

Security cameras installed at key points

Vehicles being searched

Extra vigil at entry and exit points

Preventive detentions likely.