Amritsar: Security has been stepped up in Punjab’s Amritsar ahead of the 39th anniversary of Operation Bluestar on June 6, said police on Sunday.
Special Director General of Police Arpit Shukla (law and order) Sunday reviewed security arrangements in Amritsar.
Operation Bluestar was the Army operation which was carried out in June 1984 to flush out the militants from the Golden Temple.
“Strict security measures are in place with increased patrols by local police and paramilitary forces in inner and outer areas,” said Shukla.
Police said 68 checkpoints have been set up for round-the-clock surveillance while patrolling teams have been deployed in congested areas of the city.
Special DGP Shukla through media asked people not to believe any rumours on social media and warned of strict action if anyone tries to spread any.
Replying to a question on security arrangements in Amritsar, Shukla said four companies of CAPF (central armed police forces) have been deployed in the district, in addition to 3,000 Punjab police personnel.
The senior police officer said not only in Amritsar, security has been beefed up all over Punjab.
Eleven companies of paramilitary forces have been deployed in the state, in addition to police force mobilisation, he said.
Shukla said on June 6, sizable gathering can be expected at the Golden Temple and the Akal Takht where Operation Bluestar anniversary will be observed.
He said all sensitive and hypersensitive points in the city have been covered by police to ensure peace at religious congregations in the Golden Temple on June 6.
To a question on a ‘bandh’ call given by radical Sikh outfit Dal Khalsa on June 6, Shukla said it was the prerogative of shopkeepers and business establishments as nobody will force them to shut their shops.
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