A high alert has been sounded in J&K, especially in the Kathua district of Jammu province, after a mysterious grenade blast outside the Army Cantonment in the Pathankot district of Punjab.
A high-level meeting was held at Jammu to review the security situation across the region after the Pathankot blast on Sunday evening.
"A high alert has already been sounded across Jammu and additional forces have been deployed besides strengthening Nakas on the Jammu-Pathankot national highway," a senior police officer said and added that security of the important installations situated in Jammu province has been strengthened.
Sources said that patrolling vans of police have been deployed from Lakhanpur, the gateway of J&K to Satwari, to conduct random checking of all vehicles coming from Punjab.
Grenade blast near Army cantonment in Pathankot
A grenade blast was reported near the Army Cantonment in Pathankot on late Sunday evening. The police force was rushed to the spot and they are checking the CCTV footage, informed the Pathankot SSP.
A news agency quoting SSP Pathankot Surendra Lamba reported that a grenade blast took place near Triveni Gate of an Army camp in Pathankot. "Further investigation is underway. CCTVs footage will be probed," reports said, quoting the SSP.
Local police officials recovered parts of the grenade from the site. While the investigation is underway, police have not divulged further information regarding the incident. No injuries have been reported in the explosion.
Terrorists earlier attacked Pathankot Air Force base
Pathankot is a highly sensitive area in Punjab due presence of the Army and a base of the Indian Air Force. In January 2016, the Indian Air Force's Pathankot Air Force base was attacked by heavily armed terrorists in which two security forces personnel died in the initial fight and another succumbed to injuries hours later.
The terrorists, who were dressed in the uniforms of the Indian Army, had entered India through the Kathua-Gurdaspur border in Punjab. The attack started on January 2, 2016, and continued for three days. However, the terrorists were later neutralized by the National Security Guards (NSG). The attack, which was reportedly carried out by Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorists.
Cops of Kathua on toes to check all entry points
Although high-alert has been sounded in the whole Jammu region, cops of Kathua district are on toes as Nakas on all points connecting Punjab have been strengthened with additional force.
"We are on high alert. Checking has been intensified and with deployed of forces on all points connecting Punjab", a senior police officer said, adding "Information shared by Punjab Police has been passed on all Nakas so as to keep a watch of suspicious movement".
A direction has already been given to all SHOs of the Kathua district to remain alert round the clock.
The border police posts have asked to remain vigilant and additional Nakas have been established at various points. Many sensitive entry points have been plugged in to ensure foolproof security.
