ISI threat of ‘petrol bombs’ on Independence Day sees Punjab Police step up security
New Delhi: Punjab Police has intensified security arrangements ahead of Independence Day after fresh intelligence inputs suggested that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has adopted an expanded, multi-pronged strategy to foment terror in the border state.
The heightened alert follows the arrest of two suspects allegedly involved in a petrol bomb attack on the BJP district office in Sangrur. Senior police officials said the attack reflected a shift in tactics, with petrol bombs now being used alongside conventional terror hardware such as RDX-based improvised explosive devices (IEDs), grenades and automatic weapons.
Security threats and counter measures
The latest intelligence inputs reportedly point to a significant escalation in attack plans in the run-up to the August 15 celebrations. Officials believe the strategy aims to create fear, disrupt public order and target key installations while making attacks easier to execute through inexpensive, locally fabricated weapons such as petrol bombs.
Authorities said the threat matrix has also widened beyond traditional targets. Besides police, Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), defence establishments and leaders of right-wing organisations, intelligence agencies have warned of possible attacks on railway infrastructure, other critical public assets and random police personnel. Officials also noted a shift from targeting specific individuals to striking places with high public footfall.
Police sources further alleged that the ISI is working through pro-Khalistan terror networks, particularly the banned Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), as well as transnational organised crime syndicates operating from several countries, to push weapons and explosives into Punjab. The alleged strategy also includes carrying out attacks under the cover of proxy groups to obscure direct involvement.
The latest alert comes days after Punjab Police claimed to have busted an ISI-backed BKI terror module and arrested a key operative in Jalandhar as part of an ongoing crackdown on cross-border terror networks.
Police data shows that between January and July 27 this year, security agencies busted 10 terror modules, arrested 137 people and recovered automatic rifles, pistols, RDX-based IEDs, hand grenades, detonators, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher and other explosives. Investigators also uncovered six cases of alleged tech-based espionage involving solar-powered surveillance cameras transmitting live feeds across the border, while 183 drones were recovered during the same period, highlighting the scale of cross-border smuggling operations.
Officials said the intelligence findings have prompted the strengthening of the state’s security grid, with enhanced surveillance, intelligence-led operations and tighter protection of sensitive installations ahead of Independence Day.