Punjab Police conducts searches at bus stands ahead of Holi

Chandigarh: To ensure peaceful celebrations of forthcoming Holi festival, Punjab Police on Sunday conducted a cordon and search operation (CASO) at 262 bus stands across the state, an official statement said.

The operation was carried out on the directions of Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav in all the 28 police districts, it said.

Special Director General of Police (law and order) Arpit Shukla, who was personally monitoring this state-level operation, said that all the police commissioners and senior superintendents of police were asked to ensure heavy deployment of police force under the supervision of SP rank officers to make this operation successful.

The police teams with the assistance of sniffer dogs frisked people arriving and departing at the bus stands, he said, adding that teams have also rounded up suspicious people for verification.

"We had strictly instructed all the police personnel to deal with every person in a friendly and polite manner while frisking them during the course of this operation," he added.

Shukla said that 400 police parties, involving over 3,000 police personnel, were deputed under the supervision of 121 gazetted officers across the state to look for suspicious persons at different bus stands while ensuring minimum inconvenience to the public.

He said 3,868 people were checked during the operation conducted at around 262 bus stands in the state. Police teams have rounded up 175 persons for questioning.

Two criminal cases were also registered during the operation and 100 grams of heroin was recovered, the Special DGP added.

He said that during the operation, police teams have also conducted checking of vehicles stationed at and around the bus stands. As many as 208 vehicles were challaned and 14 vehicles have been impounded by the teams.

Shukla reiterated that such operations would continue to ensure peace and harmony in the state.