Blasts, sacrilege, drones: Punjab needs to do better on internal security

New Delhi, Dec 23: A blast at the Ludhiana court complex in Punjab has exposed the security mechanism in the state. Punjab which had reeled under the menace of Khalistan terrorism for long was able to successfully beat it and there was peace in the state for long.

However off late a number of incidents are being reported, which go on to suggest that security has become lax. The blast that took place today was inside a court premises which is in the heart of Ludhiana and close to the District Commissioner's office.

Punjab's Chief Minister Charanjit Channi said Some anti-national elements are doing such acts as the Assembly elections are nearing. The government is on alert and those found guilty will not be spared, Channi also said.

The deputy CM of the state, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said that the this is a border state and nothing can be ruled out, including the possibility of external forces as they never want Punjab to be stable.

This is not the first time that a blast is taking place in the state during the election season. In 2017 on the eve of the 2017 Assembly elections at Maur Mandi. On February 4 2017 two twin blasts had taken place in which seven people died including 5 children.

In addition to these incidents, Punjab is also witnessing sacrilege and lynching. On Saturday a man from UP was lynched after an alleged attempt to commit sacrilege into the sanctum sanctorum of the Golden Temple.

Punjab has also had a drone problem in the recent past. Several drone sightings from Pakistan have been reported. In one incident, the drones had also dropped off arms and ammunition.

Intelligence Bureau officials tell OneIndia that incidents of sacrilege will be a fodder for Khalistan forces to return to Punjab. For long the Intelligence agencies have said that Pakistan's ISI has been making efforts to ensure the return of terrorism in Punjab.

The Intelligence has warned for long that the ISI and the Khalistan forces will try taking advantage of any instability in Punjab. These recent incidents are a pointer to that fact. The ISI would incite violence by undertaking such acts knowing fully that some radical elements would react in a violent manner.

In Punjab, the police found that drones were used by Pakistan to drop off weapons at the border areas, so that it could be transported to Jammu and Kashmir.

It may be recalled that the Punjab police had found that heavy lifting drones from Pakistan were used to drop off arms and ammunition near the Punjab border. The consignment was meant to be picked up by the members of the KZF and then transported to Jammu and Kashmir, the police also learnt.

Investigations have shown that these weapons were being dropped off in Punjab are meant to be transported to Jammu and Kashmir. Over the past 10 days, the drones are said to have carried out 8 sorties to drop the weapons, which also include satellite phones.