25 companies of CAPF deployed in Punjab for law and order duties

In order to effectively deal with law and order issues in the state, the Punjab government has requisitioned additional companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF). Around 25 companies of central forces comprising the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Border Security Force (BSF) have been sanctioned by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and have started arriving in the state.

The state government has deployed the additional forces in the border areas as well as the hinterland to bolster the presence of the state police personnel. This comes as the Punjab Police deals with poll preparations ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections and the ongoing festive season.

The Special DGP, Law and Order, P K Sinha, said, “The deployment is not restricted to border areas alone. They have also been shared with various commissionerates and Mohali too, as these areas also require special attention in the run-up to the poll.” The deployment is to maintain law and order, keep a check on suspicious activities, and ensure that people can celebrate festivals and participate in the electoral process without security concerns.

Senior police officials informed that the paramilitary personnel are working alongside local police teams, and special attention is being given to sensitive and vulnerable areas. Security checks have also been intensified at important locations to monitor the movement of suspicious persons and vehicles.

Amritsar Rural SSP Kanwalpreet Singh Chahal told the media that four companies of BSF and CRPF personnel had been deployed in rural areas of the district. Amritsar Commissioner of Police has also announced the deployment of three CAPF companies in Amritsar city.

It is learnt that as part of the security arrangements, police and paramilitary personnel will jointly conduct flag marches and area-domination exercises. A senior official said, “These activities are meant to demonstrate a visible security presence and to avoid any untoward incident taking place.

Since regular police are stretched at this point of time due to limited availability of personnel, the CAPF personnel will help in carrying out checking drives.” Another senior official associated with the electoral process said the state government and state police have inducted these central forces as an administrative decision and that this has nothing to do with the Election Commission of India (ECI).