Punjab cops prove their mettle

Members of the Special Forces of the Indian Army - some of the most skilled, hardened and well-equipped soldiers in India were deployed to <g data-gr-id="43"><g data-gr-id="61">Dinanangar</g></g> but the Punjab Police reportedly made it clear they would lead the operations. So India’s best-trained troops were asked to restrict their role to cordoning off the area, a task usually assigned to the police.

As the gunshots rang out with chilling frequency, it was clear the terrorists were armed to the teeth. At about 5.30 pm, Punjab police officers at the Dinanagar station chanted victory slogans as the operation was declared over and a success - the terrorists had been killed. The attackers had AK-47s; the policemen fought back with dated SLRs - Self-Loading Rifles. Among those who died in Gurdaspur on Monday was senior police officer Baljeet Singh, who headed the detective branch of the local force. Singh belonged to Punjab Police Service and not the Indian Police Service.

No bulletproof vests for members of the Punjab Police SWAT or Special Weapons and Tactics - they had kneepads but no helmets. The footage shows policemen with clearly no tactical training lobbing grenades at the police station, then turning around and running for cover. The SWAT was floated four years back by Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, who is also the home minister, to establish a crack commando force in Punjab.

“The idea has borne fruit with the SWAT giving a befitting reply to Pakistan-controlled terrorists who struck at Dinanagar,” Badal said here.

“The SWAT team, which is four years old, put its training to good use by successfully bringing down all three heavily armed terrorists at Dinanagar in a no holds barred fight,” he said.

Badal said the idea to form a highly trained commando outfit followed the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack of 2008 when <g data-gr-id="59">crucial</g> time was lost because the NSG team was stationed in Delhi.

“The new team created in Punjab is not only equipped with the latest weaponry but has been trained by Israeli experts. <g data-gr-id="55">Moreover</g> they are highly motivated and equipped to handle every exigency,” he added.

The SWAT team deployed in Dinanagar was involved in an exercise at Amritsar <g data-gr-id="58">and therefore</g> could be deployed in Gurdaspur immediately, Badal said. Seven people, including a senior police officer, three Home Guards and three civilians, were killed in the terror attack.