Punjab Police, BSF to ensure crime-free polls, break drugs supply chain

Jalandhar: Top Punjab Police officials on Thursday chalked out a foolproof strategy with the Border Security Force (BSF) to strengthen the second line of defence to break the supply chain of drugs along the international border, and to ensure free, fair and peaceful general elections.

Special Director General of Police, Law and Order, Arpit Shukla, and the BSF's Inspector General, Punjab Frontier, Atul Fulzele, held a joint coordination meeting with senior officers of Punjab Police, the BSF, the CRPF, the ITBP, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and other central agencies to review security arrangements at the border and discuss issues related to parliamentary elections.

Special DGP Shukla exhorted both forces to work as one team to ensure free and fair elections in the border state. He said being positioned at the first line of defence, the BSF needed to be more alert to prevent smuggling and infiltration bids by militants, terrorists or smugglers.

He also ordered the enhancement of police personnel deployed on night patrolling along the international border and directed all the Senior Superintendents of Police of border districts to conduct regular meetings with village-level defence committee members and sensitise field staff.

The Special DGP advised the BSF to use drone detection technology to counter the drone operations on the borders, which have emerged as the new modus operandi to smuggle drugs from across the border.

As per the information, there were 325 drone sightings across the border in 2023, of which 118 drones were recovered. Similarly, 26 drones have been recovered in 2024 so far.

Sharing details on security arrangements for the Lok Sabha elections, the Special DGP said security has been beefed up across the state and Punjab Police has mobilised 75 per cent personnel from district police and 50 per cent from other units for deployment during elections.

He said Punjab Police have already laid well-coordinated strong interstate checkpoints at all sealing points of 10 border districts - Pathankot, Muktsar Sahib, Fazilka, Ropar, SAS Nagar, Patiala, Sangrur, Mansa, Hoshiarpur and Bathinda - in the state to stop the menace of liquor and drug smuggling.

He said the 25 companies of central armed police forces (CAPF) have been deployed in vulnerable districts to instil confidence among the public as well as to dominate sensitive and hyper-sensitive areas in the state.