High alert on borders on eve of Independence Day

JAMMU - Security was put on high alert in Jammu and Kashmir Saturday with mounted vigil on the frontiers with Pakistan on the eve of Independence Day.

A senior police official told that security has been beefed up at all the “sensitive and vulnerable points across the Jammu region”. The senior police, paramilitary and army officials were carrying out security reviews.

“Additional deployments have been made around sensitive areas and vigil is mounted at airports and railway stations,” the police official said, adding that “we are carrying out intense frisking at airports”.

According to sources at the Jammu airport: “Only Air India flight is operating from Jammu to Srinagar today (Saturday) while other private carriers have cancelled the flights due to security reasons.”

But the private airlines official told IANS: “There are no flights to Srinagar today as there is no booking.”

The troops have stepped up guard along the Line and Control (LoC) and the International Border (IB) with Pakistan “to thwart any infiltration attempt from across”.

Police have erected additional check and nakas at various places in the city. Though people are feeling harassed yet they say this was for their safety. “I have to do last minute shopping for my brother’s marriage but we have to stop our vehicle so frequently for security checks. But then this again is for our safety,” said Rita Sharma.

All the passenger buses coming in and going out of the major towns “are being checked thoroughly”.

A police official said: “We have security inputs about terrorists planning strikes on or on the eve of Independence day. We have to foil such attempts in any case.”

The security forces have also stepped up hunt for the militants who had attacked army vehicles Wednesday in Thanamandi area of Rajouri district and escaped later. “They may be in for more strikes.”