In an effort to maintain the peace and tranquility of Punjab, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss the issue of law and order in the state.
As many as 1900 Central Reserved Police Force (CRPF) personnel along with the specialised anti-riot unit were being dispatched to the state for strengthening the security grid especially as the date for the G20 summit in Amritsar nears.
The two leaders discussed the law and order issue. Mann told Shah about the circumstances leading to the Ajnala incident, sources said.
On February 23, self-styled Sikh preacher and Khalistan sympathiser Amritpal Singh and his supporters, some of them brandishing swords and guns, broke through barricades and barged into a police station in Ajnala on the outskirts of the Amritsar city, extracting an assurance from the police that his aide and kidnapping case accused Lovepreet Singh would be released.
The chief minister said in a tweet in Punjabi that the "Centre and Punjab will work together on the issue of law and order".
Official sources added that the Union home ministry last week also directed the deployment of 18 companies to Punjab for "aid of the state government during law and order duties."
Out of the 18 contingents, eight are drawn from the anti-riot Rapid Action Force (RAF) while the rest are regular ones. The overall strength of these companies is around 19,000 personnel.
As many as 10 contingents of the CRPF ( Central Reserved Police Force), 8 from RPF ( Railway Protection Force), 2 from BSF (Border Security Force), 12 from ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police) and 10 from SSB (Sashastra Seema Bal) have been sent to Punjab amid the G20 meeting that is scheduled to take place between March 15 and 17.
These companies have been initially tasked to be deployed in Punjab between March 6-16 and their stay could be extended after consultation between the state and the Centre, the sources said.
They said the companies will assist the state police in security duties during the three-day Sikh festival of 'Hola Mohalla' that will be celebrated between March 8-10.
The chief minister said he had discussed with the home minister the issue of drones and drugs along the border. He said the issue of shifting the barbed wire along the border was also discussed. Mann said he has asked Shah to release Punjab's stalled rural development fund soon.
Security tightened ahead of G-20 summit
As many as 10 contingents of the CRPF ( Central Reserved Police Force), 8 from RPF ( Railway Protection Force), 2 from BSF (Border Security Force), 12 from ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police) and 10 from SSB (Sashastra Seema Bal) have been sent to Punjab amid the G20 meeting that is scheduled to take place between March 15 and 17. These contingents will reach Punjab on March 6 and they will head back after the G20 summit draws to an end.
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