LUDHIANA: The Director of Punjab police K.P.S.Gill ruled the shifting of the army from the trouble-torn state either in phases or in one goes.
Addressing a press conference here Gill said some newspapers had misquoted Lt. Gen B.N.Chhibber in this regard He claimed that what General Chhibber had stated was that the Army would stay put in Punjab for as long as was required. Hence Gill assented there was no question of the Army being phased out of Punjab.
The police chief who was speaking of the gunning down of the Chief of the Bhindranwale Tiger Force of Khalistan Rachhpal Singh chhandran and his right hand man Jagdish Singh Disha by the Ludhiana police claimed that the police now were well-motivated to fight the militants. He said in the past three months the police had killed 32 top militants.
Gill expressed the hope that with the killing of these two who carried a reward of Rs15 lakh and Rs.S lakh respectively there would be an improvement in the law and order situation in the Malwa region Affirming that some sarpanches and panches had not resigned due to police repression but under fear from militants He said now this pressure would reduce and the movement for resignations would subside. He said these two militants were active in Ludhiana Khanna Jagraon and Ropar areas.
Gill observed that the black underwear gangs which were active some time back were the creation of the Bharti Kisan Union which it created in order to launch some agitation on and off.
As for the Black Cats he admitted that policemen in plain clothes were not a new thing for the Punjab police.
The DGP declined to comment on the case regarding involvement of the SGPC president in the murder of an Akali Dal Mann leader saying investigations were continuing.
He refuted reports that seven civilians were killed in an encounter at Behla village near Taran Tam two days ago and termed them as militants since they were found along with militants at the encounter site.
Gill claimed that while rising of an industrial security force for Punjab would take some time a special force has been deployed for this job in Ludhiana Mohali Amritsar and Rajpura.
Article extracted from this publication >> June 26, 1992
