Mayank

1/5 Six Punjab Police ASIs shot in just nine months across three border districts. Five police personnel killed, two survived. A chilling pattern has emerged. Officers are being identified, their movements tracked and attacks planned. What makes these ASIs a target? A single star on their shoulders.   2/5 Investigations into the killings paint a grim picture. Drugs and weapons being pumped in from across the border, young men willing to pull the trigger for a few thousand rupees, while police struggle to track down the real perpetrators.   3/5 Meanwhile, Punjab Police are chasing a shadow. A little-known outfit, Tehreek-e-Taliban Hindustan (TTH), has surfaced to claim responsibility for the killings. But who runs it? What is its network? Police have few answers, even as suspected Pakistan-based intelligence operatives and foreign handlers wreak havoc.   4/5 The fear is palpable within the police force itself. Personnel have been advised not to wear uniforms while commuting, as the single star identifying an ASI makes them vulnerable. Policemen are now worried about their own safety.   5/5 A deadly mix of guns, unemployed youths and allegations of a police-gangster nexus has left Punjab grappling with a crisis that goes far beyond law and order. Mayank Kumar @mayankreports travelled through Punjab’s border districts to investigate the killings, the handlers and the network behind the attacks. Read the ground report.  theprint.in/india/a-single-s…