MHA to provide security cover to more BJP leaders in Punjab

By Amresh Srivastava

New Delhi, Jan 17 (IANS) The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is to provide central security cover to important BJP leaders in Punjab after reviewing the security situation in the state in view of the forthcoming assembly election, sources in the security set up said.

The sources also said that the security cover of some union ministers and BJP leadership will also be enhanced during the election campaign, though they did not disclose the names of the protectees due to security reasons.

Besides, the Centre will also accord VIP security to the leaders of the RSS, some Hindu religious outfits and the turncoats who have recently joined BJP, the sources added.

The Centre's move came after the Intelligence agencies' inputs indicating that the Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has activated all its terror wings to derail the poll process in Punjab. The sources in the security set up, quoting the intelligence inputs, said that the ISI sponsored Sikh terror outfits may target the election rallies and may attempt to hit some important leaders or VVIP during the electioneering in Punjab, parts of UP and Uttarkhand.

Considering Punjab election as an apt opportunity to reactivate the Khalistani movement in the state and also in other poll bound states wherein the Sikh voters are in majority, the ISI has activated all small or big terror groups which have been tasked to derail the poll process in the state, they further said.

The ISI has instructed the Sikh militant groups which are active abroad to channelize the supply of weapons and explosives in Punjab and the organizations like International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF), Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and Khalistan Zindabad Force to arrange the supply of weapons through Pakistani handlers. Recently, the security cover of Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has been upgraded from Y category to Z during his stay in Delhi and Punjab. He is also BJP's election in-charge of Punjab.

The Centre has also accorded VIP security cover to turncoats who have joined BJP and in this connection, the Punjab politician and Congress turncoat Rana Gurjit Singh Sodhi to 'Z' category in December last year in Delhi and Punjab by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

The Union Government had provided the central VIP security cover to as many as total of 79 BJP leaders in West Bengal including the TMC turncoats and the new joinees during assembly elections in February-March last year.