Intel agencies on high alert after Mohali attack
A senior official in the intelligence grid said that grenades were lobbed on the security forces earlier also, but using Rocket Propelled Grenade to target police forces is more worrisome for the security forces
The Central intelligence agencies have swung into action ater the atack on Punjab Police’s intelligence headquarters in Mohali and are collecting more information on this.
The Intelligence Bureau, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), The National Investigation Agency (NIA), Military Intelligence, National Technical Research Organisation and the Intelligence Wing of the Border Security Force have also been gathering information in this case.
Sources in the Intel network said that the Central Intel wings consider it as an act of terror and the responsible group has tried to convey a message by atacking the police building, this could be a handiwork of the Pakistan supported Khalistani elements hiding in the neighbouring country.
They also said that the Punjab intelligence wing reportedly received two threatening letters from a commander of the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-mohammad indicating a major atack on railway stations, bridges, places of worship and other major installations, and political leaders in the state.
A senior official in the intelligence grid said that the grenades were lobbed on the security forces earlier also, but using Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) to target police forces is more worrisome for the security forces.
The Intel sources also said that the arrested four Khalistani terrorists from Haryana’s Karnal on May 5 had admited that the weapons and explosives were transported from Pakistan through drones.
The RPG might have been carried out to Punjab from the neighbouring country, they added.
They also said that the Maoists are using improvised Under Barrel Grenade Launchers (UBGL) to target the security forces’ camps in Chhatisgarh, therefore, the agencies are trying to ascertain whether the grenade launchers were procured from them or not.
The Intelligence wings are also scanning the links with the recent posters and graffiti by the Khalistani element on the Himachal Pradesh’s Vidhan Sabha boundary wall.
A high officer in the security grid said that though the Punjab Police have been investigating the blast case, but being a border state and the way Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) has been pushing the pro- Khalistani elements to carry out major terror strikes in India, all agencies have been working hard to connect the dots of the conspiracy and to nail the perpetrators before they could execute some bad incidents in the country.
He, quoting the intelligence inputs, said that Pro-khalistani Entities (PKES) with the help of ISI have been continued with their efforts to smuggle in IEDS, arms, ammunition, explosive material into Punjab to carry out terrorist strikes in major cities of the country.
“In the past grenade atacks have happened… but the use of RPGS is worrying for everyone,” the official, with an unnamed agency, said.
All intel-gathering agencies - Military Intelligence, IB, RAW and the BSF - have stepped up operations to collect more data about the Mohali atack and also on other possible terror threats, ANI said.
The same officer also said Punjab Police had issued an alert ater Khalistani flags were found on the gate and walls of the legislative assembly in neighbouring poll-bound Himachal Pradesh on Sunday.
“On May 9, Himachal Pradesh DirectorGeneral of Police (DGP) issued an alert… in view of Khalistani elements in neighbouring states and hosting of banners and graffiti of Khalistan on outer boundary of Vidhan Sabha,” he said.
The alert, ANI said, had been issued verbally rather than on paper.
Himachal DGP Sanjay Kundu also ordered sealing of interstate borders and directed police stations to monitor ‘anti-social elements’.
The atack on Punjab Police’s Mohali HQ took place at 7.45 pm on Monday.
No casualties or injuries were reported, and a case has been filed against unknown persons. Officials have refused to rule out a terror angle at this time.
‘Can’t be ignored…’: Punjab Police on terror angle in RPG atack on Mohali HQ Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann met the state’s top cop and other senior officers and then said some suspects have already been arrested.