Punjab Police strength along border to be up 3-fold

Amritsar, November 23

Coming out in support of Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Navjot Singh Sidhu, who has been questioning his own government, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa today said if he and Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi spoke the same language who would provide justice to the people.

Randhawa orders Audit of personnel

• To keep a check on the trend of unauthorised deployment of gunmen on duty from police battalions or stations, the Deputy CM has directed all zonal IGs/DIGs to conduct a manpower audit and submit a report by November 25
• He also asked officials to ensure no police officer or personnel left their area of jurisdiction without prior approval

“It is the duty of the party president to raise issues concerning public and question the government,” he said, following a meeting over the security scenario in the wake of a grenade blast outside an Army camp at Pathankot yesterday.

Sidhu, at a party meeting in Ludhiana yesterday, again put his government in a tight spot over vacant posts of chairmen of various market committees and honouring deserving and loyal party workers.

Meanwhile, Randhawa, after a high-level meeting with senior police officers, said the security would be enhanced in the border areas by increasing the strength of the police threefold and intensifying night patrolling to keep tabs on unscrupulous elements near the International Border. He said one-third of the officials, including those holding SP and DSP ranks, would remain in the field during night patrol. The minister would oversee the roster and talk to officials on video call at any time.

He said PCR teams would be equipped with latest gadgets and vehicles for efficient patrolling in the border belt. He said Rs 75 crore would be spent on installation of CCTV cameras in the border villages and soon the work would be started in this regard.

On the Pathankot blast, he said as the area fell under the Army Cantonment, a joint investigation was being carried out by the Army authorities and Counter Intelligence of Punjab.

The Deputy CM said the Punjab Police got the information about the blast over an hour after the incident, which was a serious lapse. “I have asked the police officials to probe this. Appropriate action would be taken against those found negligent,” he said.

The Deputy CM said a separate wing would be created to check the unauthorise the deployment of security gunmen. If anyone had to take a gunman, they would have to apply to the head of the wing for it. After scrutiny, gunmen would be provided to the applicant. Besides, no official would go out of his jurisdiction without taking due permission from his higher-ups.