CHANDIGARH: The Army is “understood to have sought more Powers during its scheduled

Deployment in Punjab so that it may play a greater role in conducting the coming assembly and Lok Sabha elections, slated to be held by February next.

Informed sources revealed said the Army had expressed its desire to play a more active role during its election oriented deployment, unlike before the aborted elections in June last. This time it wants to handle all detentions and interrogations of militants till the election Process is completed.

These sources claim that the Army authorities want the role of the Punjab police to be “minimized” since they fear that the later has developed a “vested interest” in the problem and hence may “sabotage” the elections.

It is no secret that most Punjab police officers have consistently been opposing the idea of holding elections in the state. Army intelligence has “observed” several incidents of lower rung policemen indulging in extortions and even conniving with militants all of which were detrimental to security. There have been instances where at local levels; the police had struck “peace pacts” with the militants.

The Center is expected to des patch about nine Army divisions

(between 1.11 lakh and 1.13 lakh Jawans) for election duty in the State, almost double the number Deployed in June, Added to this is the state governments demand for a total of 800companies about 80,000men) of paramilitary forces in the state, which involves a staggering deployment of over two lakh men of the Army and the Paramilitary forces in addition to the 50,000odd strong Punjab Police, for conducting elections in the state.

The issue of according an active role to the Army currently under discussion in Delhi, is, however, being strongly resisted in civil and police circles here. While top Punjab government officials favor Army deployment, they apprehend that giving it extraordinary powers, as had been done during “Operation Bluestar”, would further alienate the Sikh

OFFICER’S VIEW: Although senior police officers admit that some policemen at the lower level have been indulging in extortions and even tacitly conniving with militants, the situation is not alarming. “Unlike Assam and Kashmir, where the local policies overly sympathetic two the respective militant movements, the Punjab police, comprising mostly Sikhs, is putting up strong resistance to Sikh militants”, a senior Police officer pointed out. Another officer remarked that the Army could do little in Punjab keeping in view its role in Kashmir and Assam.

Significantly, the move to give the Army a more active role is being strongly supported by the Congress and the two communist parties who have, in principle, decided to field joint candidates if elections are held. The BIP is not yet a party to this electoral alliance, Congress sources say that they hope to form the government in the state if elections are held with the security forces envisaged as of now.

The Congress is believed to have furnished list of about two dozen semi urban assembly seats to the Center where it feels it has area security forces deployed on a large scale, we might manage to form the government”, a senior Congress leader said.

Interestingly, the Punjab Congress seven sent a proposal seeking. Amy escort for its candidates during canvassing. This was promptly turned down by the Amy authorities. Nevertheless, Congressmen have been promised that paramilitary personnel, and not Punjab police escort, will be provided to them during cam paining.

 -TOI report

Article extracted from this publication >> November 22, 1991