High alert over militants’ plan to target Srinagar

Ahead of Republic Day on January 26, the police and security agencies in Jammu and Kashmir are on high alert over concrete intelligence inputs that militants may have chosen Srinagar for a “big attack.” Sources said the inputs mention a two-pronged militant attack—three fidayeen strikes and a series of grenade attacks.

On the streets of Srinagar, police have set up dozens of check points while cordon and search operations have been initiated to prevent the attacks. “Srinagar is the target. We have no doubt about it. Every agency has been reporting that the militants could attack in the next three days,” a senior police officer told a newspaper.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had called a security review meeting on Friday and discussed the threat of fidayeen attacks in Srinagar city during Republic Day. Police sources say militants are trying to send three separate fidayeen squads to target Srinagar. “At least one fidayeen squad could be from Sopore area. We are doing everything to prevent it,” a senior officer said.

The J&K Police have put a multi-tier security cordon around Srinagar and are checking every vehicle coming into the city. The police have also organised surprise cordons and checks in and around the city. Bakshi Stadium, the venue of the Republic Day parade, has been cordoned off.
The city has 25 CRPF battalions while the J&K Police has called in all its reserves, which include the IRP (Indian Reserve Police) battalions, sleuths of the security wing and armed police units. Around 15,000 security force personnel have been deployed.

The R-Day threat comes in the wake of an assessment by the Union government that Jammu and Kashmir will continue to face increased threat of terror attacks and attempts at infiltration, Defence Minister A.K. Antony on Saturday said the country would take measures to foil and defeat such designs. He said the assessment was that forces inimical to the country wanted to alter the situation, and the government anticipated attempts to disturb the peace by launching terror attacks.

Earlier this week, the Minister mentioned that at least half a dozen serious infiltration attempts from across the border were made. Throwing security machinery into a tizzy, militants taking advantage of dense fog cut the barbed-wire fence along the Indo-Pak border for the first time in a bid to carry out infiltration. Under the cover of thick fog, the militants had cut nine wires on the Pakistani side and ten wires on the Indian side thereby creating a gap to facilitate infiltration. Security has been put on high alert in the entire winter capital, Jammu.

At a meeting with the Pakistan Deputy High Commissioner, India lodged a “strong protest” against the “recent increase in incidents of ceasefire violations” including on the international border. “The Deputy High Commissioner was called to the Ministry of External Affairs and a strong protest was conveyed over incidents of grave and unprovoked firing across the International Border by Pakistan, including the firing of rockets in the Amritsar sector of the International Border on the night of January 8-9. The government has asked Pakistan to take all necessary steps to prevent recurrence of such incidents,” Ministry spokesperson Vishnu Prakash said in a statement.

Meanwhile, doing away with diplomatic niceties, Pakistan has dubbed as “immature” External Affairs Minister S M Krishna’s reported remarks that future terror attacks on India could impact bilateral ties. Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit claimed on Saturday that the Mumbai attacks would not have happened without local support and that Krishna should “understand the realities” and avoid such statements.

- Asian Tribune -