CHANDIGARH: Following two major strikes in quick succession, Karnal has emerged as the nerve center of militant activities in Haryana.
They first struck on May 3 when 10 people were mowed down in Sadar pur village. The Dachar village incident on May 7, in which five persons were killed, has mounted pressure on the police who are baffled by the militants ability to strike again in the same area within days knowing fully well that patrolling had been intensified.
Since Karnal does not share a border with Punjab, the state police had been more or less complacent. Forces were concentrated in districts like Hissar, Sirsa, Kurukshewa and Ambala where incidents of kidnapping, extortion and killing have been more frequent. The police came under immense pressure after the Center recalled six of the 20 companies of the security forces deployed in the state.
Senior officials maintain that the security network was in a shambles after the Center took this step.
Article extracted from this publication >> May 22, 1992
