Punjab Police, BSF join hands to ensure smooth conduct of Lok Sabha elections
Jalandhar, April 4
Keeping in view the upcoming General Election, Special DGP (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla has collaborated with the Border Security Force (BSF) to devise a comprehensive strategy aimed at ensuring that the elections are conducted in a smooth and peaceful manner.
The primary focus of the meeting was to reinforce the second line of defence and disrupt the supply chain of drugs originating from across the border.
During a joint coordination meeting held today at the PAP headquarters, Jalandhar, Shukla and BSF IG Atul Fulzele (Frontier Headquarters, Jalandhar) reviewed the security arrangements along the border and addressed issues concerning the elections.
The meeting was attended by senior officials of the Punjab Police, BSF, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and other Central agencies.
The notable attendees included NCB Zonal Director, State Armed Police (SAP) ADGP MF Farooqui, Border Range DIG Rakesh Kaushal and Ferozepur Range DIG Ranjit Singh Dhillon.
Emphasising the importance of synergy and collaboration between the BSF and Punjab Police, Special DGP Shukla urged both forces to make efforts to ensure that the integrity of the electoral process was maintained in the border state.
He highlighted the critical role of the BSF as the first line of defence and stressed the need for heightened vigilance to thwart smuggling and infiltration attempts by militants, terrorists or smugglers. In addition, he instructed that the deployment of police personnel for night patrolling along the international border be increased.
Addressing the emerging threat of the use of drones to smuggle drugs into the country, he advised BSF officials to leverage the drone-detection technology. He directed the SSPs of border districts to conduct regular meetings with members of village level defence committee (VLDC) members.
Last year, there were 325 drone sightings at the border, with 118 drones successfully recovered. Similarly, 26 drones have been recovered in 2024 so far.
Regarding the security arrangements for the Lok Sabha poll, the Special DGP said the Punjab Police had intensified security across the state, adding that they had mobilised 75 per cent of the district police force and 50 per cent of the police force from the other units for deployment.
He said in order to combat liquor and drug smuggling, the Punjab Police had established well-coordinated inter-state checkpoints at sealing points in 10 border districts.
Additionally, 25 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) had been deployed in vulnerable districts, comprising five companies of the CRPF, 15 of the BSF and five of the ITBP.
