09-10-2009, 09:37 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Vaishno Devi shrine in terror crosshairs</b>
pioneer.com
Mohit Kandhari | Jammu
<b>âLet the holy month begin; we will strike hard.â</b> This loosely translated version of an encrypted message has caused anxiety to the entire security establishment guarding the famous Vaishno Devi shrine and the Katra base camp ahead of the nine-day Navratra festival beginning September 19.
The intelligence agencies mapping routine transmissions among terrorist commanders have already expressed fears of a possible militant strike during the festive season in and around the Katra base camp of Vaishno Devi shrine, nestled in Trikuta hills.
Senior SP (Reasi) Anand Jain told The Pioneer, <b>"In the last two months, terrorist outfits operating in Reasi were hit hard by the security forces and might launch a strike to divert the attention of security forces. We have killed more than 17 top ultras of the Hizbul Mujahideen and the Lashkar-e-Tayyeba. Credible inputs suggest that the terrorists might target the pilgrimage.â</b>
The SSP said that immediately after learning of the recent threat, they alerted all the security pickets and set up additional check points to prevent a terror attack on the Katra base camp. âWe are not taking any chances. We have already pressed additional forces and woman constables for frisking and patrol duties,â the Reasi SSP added.
The shrine is frequented by more than 40,000 pilgrims each day during the Navratra festival. In the past too, terrorists have targeted the shrine to scare the pilgrims.
The security agencies have already alerted the authorities concerned to beef up security in and around the Katra base camp and at the Bhawan shrine to prevent any possible terror strike. The intelligence agencies have also warned the security establishment against ignoring routine frisking of women and youngsters as terrorists might rely on them to carry out the strike. Police and paramilitary troops manning closed-circuit television cameras installed along the track and at vulnerable points have been told to strictly monitor the movement of suspected persons.
<b>Pointing to certain loopholes in the existing security plan at the Katra base camp, the intelligence agencies have also requested multiple agencies to remain extra vigilant on the track between Katra and Banganga, the starting point of the 13-km trek to the holy cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi. </b>
Meanwhile, local police authorities in Katra are carrying out routine patrols and identification parades of suspects to pre-empt any terror strike. Police have also requested the local residents and pilgrims to immediately report any suspicious movement or person in their vicinity. "Time to time, our personnel issue warnings to pilgrims and passers-by not to touch any abandoned item as it could be an explosive device," a police officer in Katra said<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
pioneer.com
Mohit Kandhari | Jammu
<b>âLet the holy month begin; we will strike hard.â</b> This loosely translated version of an encrypted message has caused anxiety to the entire security establishment guarding the famous Vaishno Devi shrine and the Katra base camp ahead of the nine-day Navratra festival beginning September 19.
The intelligence agencies mapping routine transmissions among terrorist commanders have already expressed fears of a possible militant strike during the festive season in and around the Katra base camp of Vaishno Devi shrine, nestled in Trikuta hills.
Senior SP (Reasi) Anand Jain told The Pioneer, <b>"In the last two months, terrorist outfits operating in Reasi were hit hard by the security forces and might launch a strike to divert the attention of security forces. We have killed more than 17 top ultras of the Hizbul Mujahideen and the Lashkar-e-Tayyeba. Credible inputs suggest that the terrorists might target the pilgrimage.â</b>
The SSP said that immediately after learning of the recent threat, they alerted all the security pickets and set up additional check points to prevent a terror attack on the Katra base camp. âWe are not taking any chances. We have already pressed additional forces and woman constables for frisking and patrol duties,â the Reasi SSP added.
The shrine is frequented by more than 40,000 pilgrims each day during the Navratra festival. In the past too, terrorists have targeted the shrine to scare the pilgrims.
The security agencies have already alerted the authorities concerned to beef up security in and around the Katra base camp and at the Bhawan shrine to prevent any possible terror strike. The intelligence agencies have also warned the security establishment against ignoring routine frisking of women and youngsters as terrorists might rely on them to carry out the strike. Police and paramilitary troops manning closed-circuit television cameras installed along the track and at vulnerable points have been told to strictly monitor the movement of suspected persons.
<b>Pointing to certain loopholes in the existing security plan at the Katra base camp, the intelligence agencies have also requested multiple agencies to remain extra vigilant on the track between Katra and Banganga, the starting point of the 13-km trek to the holy cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi. </b>
Meanwhile, local police authorities in Katra are carrying out routine patrols and identification parades of suspects to pre-empt any terror strike. Police have also requested the local residents and pilgrims to immediately report any suspicious movement or person in their vicinity. "Time to time, our personnel issue warnings to pilgrims and passers-by not to touch any abandoned item as it could be an explosive device," a police officer in Katra said<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->