Tribune News Service

Amritsar, June 4

A heavy police force has been deployed around the Golden Temple in view of the 37th anniversary of Operation Bluestar on June 6 here. Senior police officials held meetings to ensure that the event passes off peacefully.

According to senior police authorities, over 1,000 cops were deployed near the Golden Temple and a close watch is being kept on suspicious elements. Contingents of police forces from adjoining police districts, including Amritsar rural and Tarn Taran, were also summoned for maintaining law and order in the city. Cops in civil dress were also deputed inside the shrine.

Senior police officials, including Police Commissioner Dr Sukhchain Singh Gill and Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Parminder Singh Bhandal, supervised the security arrangements.

The Police Commissioner warned anti-social elements against creating law and order problems on the day. He said police officials were asked to take suspicious elements under preventive arrest if the need arises.

Police officials revealed that senior police officials from the city and Amritsar rural police led by Dr Gill and SSP (Amritsar Rural) Dhruv Dahiya held meetings in the police lines and chalk out plans and issued necessary instructions to the police officials. A close watch is being kept in the places which remained a hotbed of militancy in Punjab during heydays of terrorism. These included Mehta, Majitha and Attari. The entire city, especially areas surrounding Darbar Sahib, had turned into a fortress with intensive barricading.

Meanwhile, Tarn Taran police also installed check-points at the entry and exit points of the city in view of Ghallughara divas. Tarn Taran SSP Dhruman H Nimbale visited these nakas. Those who were found running away after seeing the cops were nabbed and their antecedents were being looked into.