Chandigarh: On Wednesday, the Bathinda incident brought attention to the safety and security inside military establishments in Punjab. The state is home to four major military stations, including Pathankot, Ferozepur, Jalandhar, and Bathinda.
Pathankot is known as Mamoon cantonment and is the largest military station in Asia. Ferozepur cantonment is the second-largest and is located south of Ferozepur city. The Indian soldiers stationed at Ferozepur military barracks played a vital role in the first Anglo-Sikh war. The British established Amritsar cantonment in 1856, and it comes under Category II cantonment with a population of 10,410 as per Census 2011.
Ferozepur cantonment was established in 1839 when Capt. HM Lawrance was posted as the Assistant Political Agent of N.W. Frontier. It is located nearly five miles east of River Satluj and nearly two miles south of Ferozepur City. Ferozepur comes under category one cantonment. Similarly, Jalandhar is categorized as a category two cantonment and was established in 1848. The Cantonment Board comprises 14 members, including seven elected members. It has a population of 47,845 as per the 2011 Census.
On Wednesday, four soldiers were killed in a firing incident at the Bathinda military station in Punjab. The shootout occurred near the Officers' Mess of the cantonment, and the soldiers succumbed to their injuries. The Quick Response Team (QRT) was activated, and the military station has been cordoned off and sealed. The attackers, two individuals in plain clothes, have not been apprehended, and their identity remains unknown.
A top-ranking police official in Punjab stated that the incident was fratricidal and not a terror attack. The incident has brought the safety and security of military establishments in Punjab to the forefront, and measures to improve security are likely to be implemented.
