DINA NAGAR (Gurdaspur), Aug 5: Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today ordered promotions for all personnel of Dina Nagar police station who recently played an active role in neutralising the three terrorists who carried out a strike in this town on July 27.
He also announced that Rapid Rural Response force would be launched next month to respond to such attacks within 10 minutes in any village of the state.
Addressing the jawans who displayed exemplary courage and valour during the operation against the terrorists, Badal said “it is a matter of record that you did not care for your personal safety and went after the terrorists with whatever was at your command.
“I feel proud that I am home minister of a State and a force which is individually capable of taking any terrorist activity head on.”
Assuring the police personnel that they would be honoured for the exemplary courage shown by them, he said it was not an easy task to neutralise such highly trained terrorists.
He said besides promotions for all personnel who participated in the operation, all home guards who were part of the operation would be inducted into the main force.
Badal, who was on an investment promotion visit to Poland when the attack took place, also congratulated DGP Sumedh Singh Saini for leading from the front on the occasion as well as the fast response of the Punjab Police in dealing with the situation.
The DGP also took Badal on the spot where the terrorists were holed up besides explaining the whole operation.
The Deputy CM also interacted with the police personnel on the occasion.
Later, while talking to newsmen, Sukhbir Badal announced that a Rapid Rural Response force would be launched next month.
He said this force would respond to any call emanating from any village in the State “within ten minutes as was the case in the cities at present”.
Badal said 220 vehicles had been ordered for this purpose. He said Punjab would also set up a training institute near Derabassi at a cost of Rs 50 crore to impart specialized training to the police force.
The Deputy CM also that an exclusive SWAT team would be established in addition to the present team for the border areas.
Sukhbir Singh Badal said the new team would be based in the border region to deal with any exigency.
He said Rs 50 crore had been allocated for the Special Security Group and that foreign tie ups had also been finalised to impart specialised training to the teams.
“We will have the world’s best available SWAT team in Punjab”, he said.
Besides this, Badal while replying to a question, said additional surveillance was needed at the border. More CCTV cameras and surveillance equipment needed to be installed.
Badal said for this the Army and the BSF would have to upgrade their security apparatus.
The Deputy CM said as far as the State was concerned, CCTV cameras would be installed along all major highways as well as in all Corporation towns.
Three terrorists, believed to be of Pakistan based Lashker-e-Taiba, had sneaked in from Ravi river at the Punjab border on intervening night of July 26 and 27 and attacked a police station in Dina Nagar. Seven people including a Superintendent of Police were killed by the terrorists before they were neutralised by Punjab Police. (PTI)
Follow our WhatsApp channel