CHANDIGARH: After eight blasts at various police stations, police posts and check posts in the state in the last month, the Punjab Police is fortifying security cover at its establishments in Amritsar and Gurdaspur districts.
Sources said police are now increasing the height of the walls and restructuring them, setting up new sentry posts, installing nets on rooftops and boundary walls in order to prevent anyone lobbying grenades or other explosive devices into police stations, police posts and check posts in Amritsar and Gurdaspur districts. At Jandiala Guru police station in Amritsar, an iron gate has been installed.
Also, trees are being pruned to keep a vigil outside and CCTV cameras being installed. Further, the number of police posts is being decreased and manpower increased, said sources.
A police officer said the security of all police stations and posts was reviewed and strengthened. "Also, barbed wire fencing on outer boundary walls and floodlights are being put up in police establishments like the measures adopted by paramilitary forces," he said.
Meanwhile, the three alleged Khalistani terrorists killed on Monday in an encounter in Pilibhit of Uttar Pradesh hailed from poor families with their kin finding it hard to believe they could be involved in anti-national activities. Families of two of the alleged terrorists claimed they have no clue how they reached Uttar Pradesh.
The three suspected terrorists, who police claimed to be members of the Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF), were identified as Varinder Singh alias Ravi (23) of Agwan in Kalanaur, who was leading the module, Gurwinder Singh (25) of Bhaini Bania Mohalla in Kalanaur and Jashanpreet Singh alias Partap Singh (18) of Shur Khurd in Kalanaur.
Gurwinder Singh’s family said he had been facing a police case after a youth had drowned in a canal and claimed he had been implicated in that case. He had left home last week for Batala in Punjab and his phone was later found switched off. "We cannot believe he could even think of doing such a thing,” said his father Gurdev Singh who is a labourer.
His mother Sarabjit Kaur said he told her he would be back soon, while leaving home. "He was our only son. We do not know how he reached UP. Now, we have lost everything,” she said.
While Jashanpreet Singh also belonged to a poor family, his mother Paramjit Kaur said her son left home a week ago and told her he wanted to drive a commercial vehicle and support his family. She claimed that he had never done anything illegal all his life. "We do not know what happened and how he reached UP," she said.
Meanwhile, Varinder Singh’s house in Agwan village was found locked. Locals claimed he worked as a truck driver.
As per the Punjab Police, in the preliminary investigation it came to light that several operatives based abroad are linked to this terror module. These include Pakistan-based Ranjeet Singh Nita, the chief of KZF, Greece-based Jaswinder Singh Mannu, a native of Agwan village in Kalanaur, and UK-based Jagjeet Singh.