Chandigarh, Dec 1 (IANS) Punjab is facing a big threat from Maoists, who are gradually establishing their base in the state, feels the head of the state police force.
“Two years back a Naxalite (Maoist) leader Dubey had come to Punjab; he travelled all across the state and tried to form various committees. Recently we have rounded up one such zonal committee and we are trying to track others,” P.S. Gill, director general of Punjab Police, told reporters here Tuesday.

He added: “Naxalites have spread all across the state. In the past few months, Punjab has seen agitations by farmers and employee organisations and the left wing extremist (LWE) elements have made inroads into these organisations.”

Punjab Police has recently constituted a special cell in the intelligence wing for monitoring the activities of LWE elements in the state.

“The police response mechanism has been accordingly geared-up to tackle Naxalism. A few months back, we had arrested senior functionaries of the CPI-Maoist and unearthed the state and zonal Maoist committees,” pointed out Gill.

Police here has also busted nine terrorist modules and arrested 46 terrorists this year.

“Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) and Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) modules have been neutralised with the arrest of dreaded terrorists and recovery of rifles, revolvers, RDX, explosive material, detonators, and cartridges,” said Gill.

The police have also made sizeable recovery of contraband in 2009 up to October.

Gill stated: “We have seized nearly 140 kilograms of heroin and 593 kilograms of opium. The state special operations cell of the intelligence wing has busted several inter-state gangs of drug traffickers and also arrested foreign nationals involved in this illegal trade.”