Heavy-duty gate, biometric entry for visitors: Punjab Police ramps up HQ security

Security has been significantly tightened at the Punjab Police Headquarters in Chandigarh, keeping in view potential threats. The high-profile facility now has biometric-based entry for visitors, a crash-resistant gate and dual-pole metal detectors. A layered protection system has been built as the building is a potential target for terrorists or other organised threats.

CRASH-RESISTANT GATE INSTALLED

Earlier, a red-white striped boom barrier in front was the first line of vehicle control. A crash-resistant sliding gate system, designed to control and physically stop unauthorised vehicle entry, has now been installed at the police headquarters.

Manufactured and installed by a Gurugram-based company, the structure combines heavy engineering with automated access control to create a layered security barrier commonly seen at sensitive facilities.

Besides a posse of Punjab Police gunmen, now stands a massive sliding gate engineered not just to restrict access, but to withstand forceful impact. Adjacent to this system, a compact guard house functions as the operational hub, allowing personnel to monitor and control entry in real time.

The sliding leaf is filled with approximately six tonnes of concrete, dramatically increasing its mass and structural integrity. This weight is not incidental; it is central to the gate’s purpose. In the event of a ramming attempt, the sheer density of the structure helps absorb and resist the impact, preventing the gate from being easily displaced.

The system is powered by a heavy-duty Italian motor, typically from the class of industrial operators designed to move extremely large loads, typically with gates capable of handling up to 16,000 kilograms.

Ashok Yadav from Elegant Director of Elegant Technosec India Private Limited, a Gurugram-based company, told India Today, "We got this contract a month ago – this is not just Italian but German-based technology which can handle any forced entry – a forced entry but car or truck can be stopped from entering."

It is the same company that has provided bulletproof gates and other vital security gadgets for highly sensitive installations, including to the residence of the Chief Minister of Punjab. The cost of this gate alone is over Rs 16 lakh.

REASON BEHIND SECURITY UPGRADE

But it is not just protection from potential terror organisations – but also from sudden sit-in protests. A top source in Punjab Police told India Today that a likely trigger for the move was February 5 this year, when a planned dharna by Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders at the Punjab Police headquarters seemed to have irked the top officials.

SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal, along with the entire party core committee and senior leader Bikram Singh Majithia, suddenly reached the office of Punjab's DGP, Gaurav Yadav.

They staged a dharna right at the gate of the police headquarters. SAD workers raised slogans against the state's AAP government and the police, alleging political persecution and misuse of the police machinery.

Sukhbir Badal offered himself for arrest inside the DGP’s office and "dared" the police to register an FIR against him, but that led to a distasteful argument. The main issue was the ongoing Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the missing 328 saroops (copies) of Sri Guru Granth Sahib from the custody of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).

Badal and other SAD leaders were also accompanied by senior officers, who gave the political leaders free access without any appointment – hence a biometrics was put in place for accountability on entry.

An officer, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told India Today: "It does create an issue while guests are coming in, but it regulates who is coming in."

Notably, a low-intensity explosion took place near the Punjab BJP headquarters on Wednesday, April 1, prompting heightened vigilance, police checkpoints, and increased security checks. Police in Punjab themselves have seen several attacks on police stations and personnel.

In May 2022, a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) was fired at the building. It caused a low-intensity blast, shattered some windows, and created panic, but no casualties were reported, and only minor damage was incurred.

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