New Delhi: Amid heightened vigilance at the international border with Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack, security forces in Punjab have recovered explosive materials, including RDX, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and hand grenades in the border regions.
The Border Security Force (BSF) and Punjab Police Friday recovered two packets, suspected to have been dropped by drones flown from across the border, containing five hand grenades with six detonators, along with around 4.5 kilograms of RDX and IED circuits.
In addition to these explosives, the forces also recovered four pistols with eight magazines and more than 200 rounds of ammunition near Balbe Dariya village in Amritsar Rural police district, a spokesperson for the BSF’s Punjab Frontier said in a statement.
Based on this recovery, the Punjab Police Friday lodged a case against unknown suspects under sections 113 (acts of terrorism), 109 (attempt to murder), 61(1) and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy), 61(2), 249 (harbouring an offender), 251 (offering a gift or restoration of property in consideration of screening an offender), 253 (harbouring an offender who has escaped from custody), and 308 (extortion) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, 2023, along with sections of the BNS, the Aircraft Act, 1934, and the Explosive Act.
Friday’s recoveries were made less than four kilometres from Bhallarwal village, where forces had recovered two packets containing arms and ammunition, including two hand grenades and IED components, Tuesday.
These Tuesday recoveries coincided with the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which security forces have so far attributed to at least two terrorists who had come from Pakistan.
“The timely operation by alert BSF troops has thwarted a potentially devastating terror strike, possibly aimed at causing mass casualties. This operation underlines the unwavering vigilance and swift action of BSF personnel and their resolute commitment to safeguarding the nation’s borders from nefarious plots,” a BSF Punjab Frontier spokesperson said Friday.
ThePrint has reported from Punjab about the spate of grenade attacks at police installations in the border districts of Gurdaspur, Batala, Amritsar Rural police district, as well as the Amritsar Police Commissionerate.
The Punjab Police have so far maintained that Pakistan’s intelligence agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), is behind all the 21 attacks that have taken place in the state since September 2024.
Police have claimed that terrorist organisations such as Babbar Khalsa International and the Khalistan Zindabad Force have been working to create communal tension in the state at the behest of the ISI.
Following the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann chaired a high-level security meeting with senior police officials, including Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav and other police officers responsible for the state’s security.
After chairing the meeting, Chief Minister Mann emphasised that, being a border state, security has been strengthened across Punjab, particularly at tourist places, to ensure no untoward incidents. He also stated that the Punjab Police and BSF are working in close coordination to thwart any threat from across the border.
“The Chief Minister said that security has been enhanced in the state and strict vigilance is being maintained throughout Punjab to ensure no one violates the law. He said that the Punjab Police is fully capable of foiling any such attempt, and perfect coordination is being ensured between the Army, BSF, and the Punjab Police. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that Punjab has a strong second line of defence in the form of the state police, which is committed to maintaining law and order in the state,” a government spokesperson attributed to the Chief Minister.
(Edited by Radifah Kabir)
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