The Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN) industrial belt in Himachal Pradesh is grappling with a significant shift in crime patterns, exposing the local police’s shortcomings in preparedness and intelligence gathering for serious offenses.
Information was available with The Chenab Times indicating a disturbing evolution from petty thefts and burglaries to incidents involving improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and the use of grenades for settling personal disputes. The police, while being the first responders in such violent incidents, appear to lack adequate resources and coordination mechanisms with national agencies for the effective identification and neutralisation of emerging threats.
The limited manpower available to the Baddi district police is reportedly stretched thin, engaged in a multitude of duties including crime investigation, traffic management, and VIP security. This division of resources leaves insufficient human resource allocation for critical intelligence gathering, a deficiency that miscreants are allegedly exploiting to conduct operations within the vulnerable industrial cluster.
The limitations of the Baddi police in handling situations involving explosives were starkly demonstrated recently when they required the assistance of the Punjab Police bomb disposal squad to safely defuse two grenades found in Deoli village, Nalagarh. The grenades were discovered a day after their initial detection, highlighting a potential delay in response and capability.
Recent incidents underscore these challenges. In one case, a dispute between two groups, one led by brothers Salim and Rashid and the other by Raju Khan, escalated over a financial matter, resulting in an injury. Subsequently, a grenade was allegedly hurled at Raju Khan’s residence, and another was discovered in nearby fields the following day, causing considerable fear among the local populace.
The arrests of Rashid, his brother Salim Mohammad, and Salim’s wife Kirna from Majra village in Nalagarh followed the registration of a case under the Arms Act and Section 4 of the Explosive Substances Act, 1908. Investigations revealed that Salim and Rashid had prior involvement in cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and the Arms Act in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, suggesting a history of involvement in criminal activities that police reportedly lacked comprehensive intelligence on.
The police were reportedly caught off guard and lacked prior intelligence regarding the criminal history of local residents allegedly involved in consistent criminal activities. The article suggests that maintaining criminal profiles and conducting surveillance on potential societal threats could have potentially averted such occurrences.
Further compounding the issue, an IED blast had rocked the Nalagarh police station on New Year’s Eve, damaging its rear wall. The circumstances surrounding the planting of the device on the police station’s premises remained unclear for a significant period.
A probe initiated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which took over the case from the Nalagarh police, indicated that the accused, along with accomplices, had transported an IED from Punjab to Himachal Pradesh on December 31, 2025. This act was reportedly part of a broader conspiracy targeting police establishments. Despite the gravity of the threat and the NIA’s subsequent investigation which led to the arrest of eight individuals, the Nalagarh police reportedly possessed limited actionable intelligence on the network or its local facilitators even months after the blast. The Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) had claimed responsibility for the incident, indicating the transnational nature of the conspiracy.
In another incident in 2022, inter-state gangsters opened fire on an under-trial outside a court in Nalagarh. The police were reportedly unable to anticipate the threat and failed to deploy adequate security personnel around the court premises, despite the production of a known gangster before a judge.
The BBN industrial area shares a substantial 65-kilometre border with neighbouring states, including Punjab and Haryana. The terrain, characterized by riverbeds and fields, offers numerous porous routes that allegedly facilitate the escape of miscreants after committing crimes.
The article points to a deficiency in counter-intelligence capabilities, with key police postings allegedly influenced by political considerations rather than merit. A critical subdivision was reportedly overseen by an officer on extension, while more meritorious and junior officers were assigned less significant roles.
Despite the significant threat posed to the BBN industrial cluster, the police reportedly possess minimal actionable intelligence on local criminal networks or individuals involved in illicit activities. Furthermore, the police department appears to lack essential modern equipment for detecting IEDs or defusing grenades, as well as adequate training and preparedness to effectively manage such serious crimes within the industrial belt.
The article suggests the necessity of establishing a specialised intelligence unit equipped with modern gadgets in the area. It also advocates for postings to be based on merit rather than political affiliations, noting that the BBN area has become a desirable location for officers who lobby politicians to secure assignments there.
The prevalence of criminal activities is expected to persist in the industrial belt unless the police demonstrate a commitment to tackling rising crime with increased preparedness and robust action.
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The Chenab Times News Desk
