R-Day celebrations: Security tightened in Punjab, Haryana

CHANDIGARH: Security has been beefed up across Punjab and Haryana ahead of Republic Day celebrations with sniffer dog units and bomb disposal squads sanitising vulnerable places, officials said on Wednesday.

Police personnel are keeping a close vigil in sensitive locations to maintain law and order ahead of the Republic Day celebrations on Thursday. Vehicles entering the two states are being thoroughly checked, they said.

Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator Banwari Lal Purohit will unfurl the tricolour at a state-level function in Jalandhar on Thursday and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will hoist the national flag in Bathinda.

In Haryana, state-level Republic Day celebrations will be organised at Thanesar in Kurukshetra where Governor Bandaru Dattatreya will unfurl the national flag.

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar will unfurl the national flag in Jagadhri in Yamunanagar.

Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala, Vidhan Sabha Speaker Gian Chand Gupta and Home Minister Anil Vij will hoist the tricolour in Hisar, Panchkula and Ambala, respectively.

Recently, Punjab Police conducted a special operation -- 'OPs Eagle-II' -- against criminal and anti-social elements on the directions of Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav.

Cordon and search operations (CASO) were carried out at vulnerable places including railway stations and bus stands across the state with additional director general of police and inspector general of police rank officers deputed to personally supervise them.