CHANDIGARH: The Army moved i into all districts of P Punjab on June 15 to be available to the district authorities at short notice for use in ensuring free and fair elections this weekend.

The army which had so far been deployed in the border districts of Amritsar Gurdaspur and Ferozepur has been deployed in the remaining districts as well. The Army will be available to the District Magistrates for staging flag marches and carrying out cordon and search operations in the face of unremitting violence and the threat to disrupt polling on June 22.

The step had been taken as a confidence building measure among the people in view of the increasing attacks which have claimed the lives of a large number of candidates in addition to ordinary citizens in the recent days touching off a vociferous demand from all political parties for strong and foolproof security measures. The Disturbed Areas Act which was earlier operative in nine of the 12 districts of Punjab has now been extended to the entire state The Act gives special powers to the Army to conduct searches on its own or at the request of the civil administration for maintenance of law and order.

The Army took up positions throughout the state quickly ¢ and will stay on right up to the polling day June 22. It has already staged flag and column marches in certain parts of the state

Meanwhile the Punjab Governor Gen O.P Malhotra has reportedly declared that the government will go ahead with the elections in the state come what may.

He is reported to have told a deputation of senior Punjab Congress (I) leaders which called on him at Raj Bhavan here that the government had accepted the challenge of the militants and would organize the elections.

General Malhotra is said to have up when the Congress (I) leaders pleaded for postponement of the elections in the state in view Of the continued militant violence. They said the law and order situation had become so bad that a large number of candidates had been killed by the militants Even the Union Home Minister Mr Subodh Kant Sahay had been attacked.

The Governor however said that the postponement of the elections now would be tantamount to surrendering to the militants. This was Out of the question.

The Congress (I) leaders who called on the Governor included Mr Beant Singh Mrs Gurbinder Kaur Brar Mr Brij Lal Goyal Dr Kewal Krishan Mr Sewa Ram Arora and Mrs Rajinder Kaur Bhattal.

Article extracted from this publication >> June 21, 1991