Opinion May 30, 1985, Forty Years Ago: Pak Border Sealed

This is the front page of The Indian Express published on May 30, 1985.

May 30, 2025 07:05 AM IST First published on: May 30, 2025 at 07:05 AM IST

India has sealed its border with Pakistan in Punjab, Rajasthan, and Jammu and Kashmir and banned the movement of people to check any kind of infiltration over the next fortnight. Both BSF and the CRPF, manning the borders in these states, have been directed to intensify vigilance. It has been left to the authorities to take appropriate action against infiltrators.

Anand Violence

The dairy town of Anand was placed under an indefinite curfew following large-scale arson since daybreak. The police opened fire twice during the day to quell rioting mobs indulging in violence and arson there. Over two dozen shops were set ablaze by the rampaging crowds in the town since morning. The police had to fire several rounds in the main market as tear gas proved ineffective in dispersing the mobs. Casualties in police firing, if any, are not known.

Flats Scandal

The Delhi Development Authority vice chairman, Prem Kumar, ordered the suspension of an executive engineer and two junior engineers for dereliction of duty with respect to the supervision of the construction of 192 flats in Kishangarh off Mehrauli. One assistant engineer has been sent back to his parent department, CPWD. These flats were found to be constructed without proper foundation. Kumar said no one responsible would be spared.

Cyclone Threat

About one lakh people were reported to have perished in the catastrophic cyclone that hit Bangladesh last week. Several thousand are still missing even as another similar storm began forming in the south-east Bay of Bengal, causing fears of a fresh wave of devastation.