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Golden Temple complex kept under police surveillance last night

The area around the rest house on the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar was kept under police surveillance during midnight.

Nearly 50 Punjab police personnel in ordinary clothes were stationed outside and at entrances to the Sarai (the rest house for pilgrims).

However, the forces were withdrawn early this morning.

Deputy Inspector General of Police (Border range) S K Goel described the operation as a precautionary measure to check the entry of undesirable elements into the complex in view of the present state of affairs in Punjab.

He denied that pilgrims were frisked or harassed and said no search operations were conducted in or around the rest house.

According to Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee officials a few of the policemen were armed with pistols and revolvers while others had batons.

Officials said that at about 2100 hours last night about 20 policemen in plain clothes took a round of the rest house area and left. However, later at around midnight a larger police contingent arrived and took up positions at certain points which included the entrances to the Guru Ram Dass Sarai, the Hargobind Niwas and the Teja Singh Samundri hall which houses offices of SGPC officials.

Police officials said such routine security exercises had been conducted in the Sarai areas in the past. This was, however for the first time that policemen entered the Golden Temple complex during the Parkash Singh Badal regime. The policemen did not enter the parikarama of the main complex.

UNI

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