CHANDIGA RH: The Haryana Chief Minister, Bhajan Lal, said Friday that the Union Home Minister S.B. Chavan had assured him not only to provide more sophisticated weapons but also send additional companies of the paramilitary forces to the state.

The Chief Minister said he had a telephonic talk with Chavan following Thursday evening’s killing allegedly by Punjab militants at Tohana in Hisar district Chavan assured him that some companies of the paramilitary forces would be provided to the state by Friday evening.

He was talking to newsmen here, after a visit to Tohana where caromed men had opened indiscriminate firing claiming 26 lives and leaving nine injured, three of them seriously.

Bhajan Lal said the entire border of the state with Punjab, running into 400 km, would be sealed after additional companies of the paramilitary forces and more sophisticated weapons were received from the Center to prevent any possible entry of militants.

Bhajan Lal said no clue had so far been found about the militants involved in the shooting incident. However, he said according to eyewitnesses they had fled to- wards Punjab after committing the crime.

The Chief Minister said dependents of the slain persons would be given preference in the matter of employment by the state government.

He announced an ex-gratia grant of R.s 50,000 each to next of kin of those killed, R.s 20,000 each to those seriously injured and R.s 10,000 each to the persons with minor injuries.

The Chief Minister said he had ordered the transfer of the DSP and the SHO of Tohana with immediate effect for dereliction of duty.

He said the government had decided to liberalize the grant of arms licenses to the people in the border areas of the state.

The Chief Minister visited the houses of those killed in Tohana Friday morning and expressed his heartfelt sympathies with the bereaved families. He also visited the injured in the Civil Hospital and directed the district administration to provide all medical facilities to them.

He appealed to the people not to get provoked by this dastardly act. He exhorted them to face militants bravely, every such act would be suitably rewarded by the government, he announced.

PTI adds: A report from Tohana said a complete bandh was observed in Tohana, Fatehabad and Barwala Friday, while the bandh was partial in Hisar.

According to the police, search parties had been sent in all directions to nab the assailants.

Birendar Singh, President of HPCC (I), and Surinder Kumar Madaan, Minister of State for Public Relations, Haryana, condemned the killings in Tohana.

Article extracted from this publication >> December 13, 1991