Chandigarh/ New Delhi:
In the run-up to the February 20 Assembly elections in Punjab, Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi’s chopper was not allowed to take off from Chandigarh on Monday owing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s movement in the state.
Channi was to join his party leader Rahul Gandhi’s rally in Hoshiarpur.
Modi was scheduled to campaign in Jalandhar, his first visit to the state after a major breach in his security in Punjab last month. Officials said Channi’s chopper was not permitted to take off from Chandigarh owing to imposition of a ‘no-fly zone’.
Reacting to the development, Channi said, “I am a Chief Minister, not a terrorist.”
At the public rally in Jalandhar, Modi questioned the security arrangements of the Channi-led state government.
“I wanted to pay obeisance at Devi Talab Mandir (in Jalandhar) but the police administration asked me to go back by helicopter. This is the state of affairs of the Punjab government,” Modi said.
A day earlier, Home Minister Amit Shah took a swipe at Channi at an election rally in Ludhiana, saying how could he protect Punjab when he couldn’t provide security to the Prime Minister of the country.
Punjab will go to the polls in a single phase on February 20. The counting of votes will take place on March 10.
HUGE DEPLOYMENT OF CENTRAL FORCES
Amid threats from Khalistani and Pakistan supported terror outfits, the Centre has decided to deploy a large number of security forces in Punjab for the forthcoming Assembly elections scheduled on February 20.
According to sources in the security set up, around 455 companies of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) will be deployed in the border state, and the process of deployment has already begun.
This would be in addition to Punjab police personnel who will be responsible for managing the law and order situation in the state.
The sources also said that over 200 companies have already reached Punjab for election duty, while the rest of the forces will be deployed in the state latest by February 16.
THE 455 COMPANIES OF PARAMILITARY FORCES INCLUDE 150 COMPANIES OF CENTRAL RESERVE POLICE FORCE
(CRPF), 162 COMPANIES OF BORDER SECURITY FORCE (BSF), 80 COMPANIES OF INDO-TIBETAN BORDER POLICE
(ITBP), AND COMPANIES FROM OTHER PARAMILITARY FORCES SUCH AS CENTRAL INDUSTRIAL SECURITY FORCE
(CISF) AND SASHASTRA SEEMA BAL (SSB). IANS