Punjab Police and BSF collaborate to provide a seamless conduct of the Lok Sabha elections

In light of the forthcoming general election, Special DGP (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla has worked with the Border Security Force (BSF) to develop a comprehensive plan intended to guarantee a peaceful and orderly voting process.

The meeting’s main goals were to strengthen the second line of defense and sabotage the drug supply chain that comes from over the border.

Shukla and BSF IG Atul Fulzele (Frontier Headquarters, Jalandhar) reviewed the security measures along the border and discussed election-related matters during a joint coordination meeting that was conducted today at the PAP headquarters in Jalandhar.

Senior representatives from the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), BSF, Punjab Police, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and other Central agencies attended the conference.

Among the distinguished guests were the NCB Zonal Director, ADGP MF Farooqui of the State Armed Police (SAP), DIG Rakesh Kaushal of the Border Range, and DIG Ranjit Singh Dhillon of the Ferozepur Range.

Special DGP Shukla stressed the need for cooperation and synergy between the BSF and Punjab Police, and he asked both agencies to work together to make sure that the integrity of the election process was maintained in the border state.

He emphasized the vital role that the BSF plays as the first line of defense and the need of increased alertness to prevent militants, terrorists, or smugglers from smuggling or infiltrating. Furthermore, he ordered an increase in the number of police officers stationed for nighttime surveillance along the international border.

He counseled BSF authorities to make use of drone-detection technologies in response to the growing danger of drug smuggling into the nation using drones. He gave the border district SSPs instructions to meet on a regular basis with the members of the village level defense committee (VLDC).

118 of the 325 drones that were seen near the border last year were successfully retrieved. Likewise, 26 drones have been found thus far in 2024.

In relation to the security plans for the Lok Sabha election, the Special DGP said that the Punjab Police had stepped up their presence across the state and that they had mobilized 50% of their other units’ police force and 75% of their district police force for deployment.

He claimed that the Punjab Police had set up well-coordinated inter-state checks at sealing locations in ten border districts to fight the smuggling of drugs and alcohol.

Furthermore, twenty-five companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), consisting of five CRPF companies, fifteen BSF companies, and five ITBP companies, were stationed in regions deemed susceptible.