All police stations in the district have been directed to check identities of women who ride bikes with their faces covered. (Representational Image)
Days after terror struck Dina Nagar in Gurdaspur, police in border district of Tarn Taran have started verifying the identity of women who cover their faces while riding two-wheelers.
All police stations in the district have been directed to check identities of women who ride bikes with their faces covered.
"The directions have been issued to check the identities of those girls whose faces are covered while riding," Tarn Taran SSP Manmohan Kumar Sharma told PTI on Friday.
The campaign has been launched in the wake of the terror attack in Gurdaspur district on July 27, police said.
Female riders who cover their faces are being asked to show their faces which are being matched with the photographs on their driving licenses to verify their identity.
Women traffic police constables have been deployed especially for the purpose, police said, adding that directions are being followed "strictly".
In the summer season, women often cover their faces with 'dupattas' for protection against dust and sun while riding.
Police said they are also warning women against covering their faces while riding two-wheelers.
Notably, driver of a Punjab Roadways bus which was targeted by three heavily-armed terrorists in the Dina Nagar attack, had pointed out that the three, who first tried to stop the bus and then opened fire, had covered their faces.
With the new directions in place, it seems that the police do not want to take "any chance" as Tarn Taran is one of the border districts located near Amritsar and surrounded by Kapurthala in the east while Pakistan in the west.