Intruder shot dead by BSF near Gurdaspur

The Border Security Force (BSF) on Thursday morning gunned down a terror suspect in Punjab near Pathankot trying to infiltrate from across the Pakistan border.

At least two other suspects managed to flee back to the neighbouring country sensing trouble. The unsuccessful infiltration bid took place in the Bamyal sector in Punjab.

The six terrorists who stormed the Pathankot airbase in early January also crossed over from Pakistan and entered Punjab through this porous Bamyal sector.

Identity unclear

It is still unclear if the suspects who tried to infiltrate into Punjab were drug peddlers or terrorists. Punjab is already on high alert with intelligence inputs indicating the possibility of terrorist activity ahead of Republic Day.

BSF sources said patrolling in the area had been intensified ever since the Pathankot terror strike.

The BSF, which mans 553-km stretch on the Indo-Pakistan international border, had come under flak after the attack.

The chilling winter months on the Punjab border zone witnesses a thick veil of fog, especially during morning and evening hours. Patrolling becomes hard and detecting suspected movements from across the Pakistan border is even harder during these months.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has underlined the need for equipping the BSF and the state police with the latest weapons and gadgets to combat cross border terrorism more effectively. The government has sought additional deployment of BSF.

Badal said on Thursday that Punjab “is prone to attack” from across the borders and attacks in Dinanagar and Pathankot were a testimony. “In such a scenario the need of hour si to provide ultra modern gadgets and weapons to the state force and BSF, manning the international border, to check terrorism,” he said, adding that the Union government must treat Punjab at par with North Eastern states and allocate liberal funds to modernise the state police.