After 2 decades, sandbag bunkers are back
Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, August 3
Nearly two decades after the end of the dark days of terrorism, sandbag bunkers have again cropped up at police stations and other important locations in the city.
Sources said that the terror attack at the Dinanagar police station in Gurdaspur and the interception of a suspicious satellite phone call on Friday morning near Karnana village in Banga have prompted the police to step up security.
On Saturday morning, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Naveen Singla visited all the police stations and ordered the building of sandbag bunkers.
To strengthen security at police stations located in peripheral areas, the policemen have been given Light Machine Guns (LMGs).
The Station House Officers (SHOs) of all police stations have been told to stay alert and carry out patrolling from 5 am to 7 am (the time when the terrorist had struck at the Dinanagar police station in Gurdaspur).
While DCP Naveen Singla tried to downplay the matter by claiming it to be a routine exercise in the wake of the Independence Day function, police sources said that tight security arrangements have been made following the orders of the police headquarters in Chandigarh.
A high-ranking police officer said that the SHOs have been told to ensure that 10 policemen should remain present in the police station throughout the day. The policemen manning the police station are being provided with latest weapons. Patrolling by policemen on PCR motorcycle has also been intensified.
