Punjab’s Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal on Friday met Union Home minister Rajnath Singh and sought more security personnel to guard the state’s border with Pakistan to check infiltration and “drug terrorism” sponsored by the neighbouring nation. In his meeting with Singh here, Badal is understood to have shared relevant details related to the Pathankot terror attack case, which is now being probed by National Investigation Agency (NIA).
“I have requested the Home Minister to increase Border Security Force personnel to guard International Border in Punjab. It has to be increased to the level of deployment at the Jammu and Kashmir border,” he said.
Badal, however, denied handing over Dinanagar attack case to the NIA saying that state police was handling the case in proper way. Three heavily-armed militants in army fatigues, believed to have come from Pakistan, had on July 27, last year sprayed bullets on a moving bus and stormed a police station, killing eight persons, including an SP, in Dinanagar town, close to Pakistan. The terrorists were killed by the police later.
“At the moment there is no planning to hand over Dinanagar attack case. The attack was on Punjab police. We are investigating it. It is not we are not liaisoning with government of India. We are sharing each other’s investigations.
“If we feel that there is requirement to hand over that, there is no prestige involved in it (not handing over the case to the NIA),” he told reporters after the meeting. Badal denied any police failure in checking terrorists who had attacked the Air Force base in Pathankot. “Here is no local police failure. I can say in the whole operation neither police nor security forces of govt of India failed. The brave men fought for the nation, fought against the militants. I must request people to desist from criticising the national forces,” he said.
Badal said both NIA and Punjab Police are investigating the case. “We will go backward and forward and find out what has happened,” he said.