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Bhagwant Mann meets Amit Shah, demands more central forces ahead of Operation Blue Star anniversary

YB WEB DESK. Dated: 5/20/2022 3:01:24 PM

New Delhi, May 19 Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah at his residence in Delhi and demanded more central forces. The meeting comes ahead of the anniversary of Operation Blue Star in the first week of June amid a rise in pro- Khalistani activities. After his meeting, Bhagwant Mann, while speaking to the media, said that the Centre has agreed to deploy a total of 20 paramilitary companies in the state, with the addition of 10 new paramilitary companies. "I met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and discussed several matters, including issues of national security and technology infrastructure to enhance border management services. Ten more companies of security forces will be provided by the Centre," said Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann. Mann also demanded anti-drone technology for the border areas. "We requested anti-drone technology. He [Amit Shah] said that we would work together in regard to national security," said CM Mann. Other matters discussed included the Basmati crop and Punjab's share in Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), he added. Meanwhile, sources said the security agencies have been put on alert and security has been enhanced in Amritsar ahead of the 38th anniversary of Operation Blue Star. Operation Blue Star was a military operation ordered by then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to flush out Sikh militants holed up in Amritsar's Harmandir Sahib Complex (Golden Temple). The operation, which took place between June 1 and June 8, 1984, claimed several lives and damaged the shrine.