Amarinder seeks 25 CAPF companies, anti-drone gadgets: ‘RSS-BJP leaders, temples on terror target’

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday urged Home Minister Amit Shah to urgently provide 25 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and anti-drone gadgets for the Border Security Force (BSF) for protection from Pakistan-backed terror forces. Amarinder, who met Shah in New Delhi, said Punjab is a border state and cited possible targeting of Hindu temples, prominent farmer leaders, RSS offices, RSS-BJP leaders among others.

The CM’s meeting with Shah came a day after Pujab Police recovered a tiffin box bomb packed

Amarinder seeks 25 CAPF companies, anti-drone gadgets: ‘RSS-BJP leaders, temples on terror target’

with over 2 kg of RDX from a village in Amritsar with DGP Dinkar Gupta saying that it was delivered through a drone from across the border.

The chief minister told Shah that the security situation was grave and needed the Centre’s immediate intervention, as he cited the recent heavy influx of weapons, hand-grenades and IEDs into the state, with Pakistan’s ISI also raising the ante ahead of the Independence Day and in the run-up to the Punjab Assembly polls.

He asked the Union Home Minister for CAPF deployment in Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Mohali, Patiala, Bathinda, Phagwara and Moga, as well as anti-drone technology for the BSF deployed at the borders. He pointed to the “potent threat” to the security of vital infrastructure and installations and public meetings and events being attended by “highly threatened” individuals.

Referring to inputs from central and state agencies, corroborated by disclosures made by arrested terrorists, Amarinder said potential individual and mass indiscriminate targets include trains, buses and Hindu temples, prominent farmer leaders, RSS Shakhas and offices, RSS, BJP, Shiv Sena leaders based in Punjab, Deras, Nirankari Bhawans and Samagams.

He cited specific inputs about five farmer leaders and that they had refused to take security offered by Punjab and Haryana police.

The chief minister apprised Shah about the recent efforts by Pakistan’s ISI and the country’s establishment to push large quantities of weapons, hand-grenades, RDX explosive, detonators, timer devices, sophisticated laboratory made tiffin bombs into Punjab for carrying out terrorist acts.

“With the Punjab Assembly elections scheduled for February-March 2022, many militant and radical operatives are being pressured by the ISI to carry out terrorist actions. These are very serious and worrisome developments having huge security implications for the border state and its people,” the CM warned.

He reminded the Home Minister about the earlier targeted killings masterminded by the ISI, including that of RSS, Shiv Sena, Dera leaders and RSS Shakhas, in 2016, ahead of the last Assembly polls. Also, the Maur bomb blast on January 31, 2017 was carried out just three days prior to the polling day that year, he noted.

Amarinder told Shah that between July 4 and August 8, 2021, foreign based pro-Khalistani entities, working in close collaboration with the ISI, had managed to induct over 30 pistols, one MP4 Rifle, one AK-47 Rifle, around 35 hand-grenades, tiffin bombs, over 6 Kg RDX and assorted hardware for fabrication of IEDs. He further informed Shah that in the last 35 days, more than 17 deliveries of weapons, hand-grenades, explosives and assorted IED fabrication hardware had come to the notice of the Punjab Police and the central agencies, which meant that consignments of weapons were delivered to Punjab based terror operatives on every 2nd day in July with the trend continuing in August.

He further observed that the fencing at the Indo-Pak border in Punjab had been rendered ineffective as a result of the tremendous capacity and expertise developed by the ISI and Pakistan-based Khalistani terrorist outfits, which allows them to use drones for delivery of terrorist hardware and drugs over the border fence into Punjab with ease. This, he stressed, had emerged as a serious national security concern.