After Gurdaspur incident, Punjab police issues instructions for battalion commandants

Chandigarh: Nearly a month after two policemen were found dead with gunshot wounds inside a check post in Gurdaspur district on Feb 22, a set of instructions have been released for battalion commandant. The instructions were given during a meeting chaired by the ADGP, State Armed Police, on March 2, the TOI learnt. The instructions include inspection to oversee security arrangements and random video calling to seek security-related reports. Moreover, commandants and other officers were told to ensure foolproof security of their respective battalion headquarters "in the wake of attack on two policemen in Gurdaspur district, to ensure safety from such attacks and to ensure safety of the personnel."While the commandants were directed to carry out inspections in the guards' deployments of their respective battalions once in a month, the gazatted officers were told to do so twice a month. The officers present in the meeting were also told that "in the wake of prevailing situation in Punjab, strict directions be issued to jawans who go home after their duty to pay special attention to their security." The commandants of the armed battalions were instructed to deploy nets around the respective guards' deployment and adjoining areas for safety from grenade or other attack.Notably, two policemen were found dead with gunshot wounds inside a police check post in Adhiya village in Gurdaspur district on February 22, raising questions on security. A couple of days after the incident, the TOI learnt the Sadak Surakhya Force (SSF), a dedicated force primarily mandated to provide assistance to victims of road accidents, also wrote to the police chiefs of the districts seeking weapons for their safety. That request cited safety concerns of the SSF personnel in the wake of murder of two policemen in Gurdaspur.Special DGP (Traffic & Road Safety Wing) A S Rai said, "The security of the SSF vehicles has been ensured by providing weapons to them."MSID:: 129826655 413 |