After the intelligence input from Pakistan’s National Security Advisor (NSA) Nasir Khan Janjua regarding a group of 10 terrorists belonging to Jaish e Mohammad (JeM) and Lashkar e Toiba (LeT) entered Gujarat, two teams of the National Security Guards (NSG) have been deployed in Ahmedabad and security has been beefed up in the entire state.
The Gujarat administration tightened security across the state, especially along its coastal belt, following a note by national security adviser Ajit Doval about the possible infiltration.
The alert was sounded in Kutch district that shares both land and sea border with Pakistan.
State Home Minister Rajanikant Patel said, “We had received inputs from the central government yesterday (Saturday) about terror suspects having entered the state.”
“We have issued a high alert,” he said, and the security has been increased.
Intelligence agencies believe this infiltration is aimed at creating disturbances on or around Shivaratri which falls on Monday. Pakistan’s NSA has informed that these are fidayeen from the Lashkar-E-Taiba and Jaish-eMuhammed cadres.
Following Doval’s communication to Gujarat, security has been stepped up at sensitive installations, places of worship and public places. This is the first time that Pakistan has shared such specific intelligence.
All security agencies in Gujarat have been placed on a state of high alert and despatched to specific locations which are vulnerable. The state director general of police P C Thakur convened an emergency meeting on the issue and alerts were sounded off in all major cities and districts.
Important monuments and pilgrimage centres like Somnath temple, Dwarka Temple, Akashardham, power plants, defence, dams like Sardar Sarovar Dam and security establishments have also been put on alert.
The warning from Pakistan comes after five abandoned Pakistani boats found in the past three months in Kutch.
An abandoned boat was found by a BSF patrolling team off Koteshwar coast in Kutch on Friday.
According to the input shared by Pakistan’s NSA, these 10 terrorists are suicide bombers from the Lashkar-E-Taiba and Jaish-e-Muhammed outfits. Intelligence agencies believe that this infiltration is aimed at creating disturbances on or around Mahashivaratri which falls on Monday.
A plan of action was also decided in a high-level meeting of top cops of the state.
Earlier, on Saturday, Western Army Commander Lt Gen KJ Singh had disclosed in Pathankot on Saturday that there are some “disturbing” inputs about a terror attack in India aimed at creating the “maximum media impact” during the Shivratri festival and the ongoing Parliament session. He assured that steps have been taken to deal with it.
