Amid repeated terror attacks in the Doda and Kathua districts, security has been tightened and vigilance increased in Himachal Pradesh's Chamba district along the borders with Jammu and Kashmir.
Security personnel in Chamba have been put on high alert, and patrolling has been intensified to prevent any infiltration attempts by extremists.
According to reports border outposts have been directed to maintain high alert and increased vigilance. After repeated terror attacks in the Doda and Kathua districts, an alert has been sounded in the Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh and inter-state patrolling has also been increased.
Previously, the ITBP manned the sensitive border until 2012, when the central government decided to withdraw it.
Security along the tranquil border was of little concern until 1998 when Pakistan-trained terrorists massacred 35 labourers in two separate incidents in Satrundi and Kalaban in the Chamba district.
This event underscored the urgency of deploying a central security agency for border management. Consequently, the state government decided to seal the areas and sought central assistance for securing its borders in Chamba district, which adjoins the terrorist-infested regions of Jammu and Kashmir.
Chamba-Doda bus service suspended due to increasing terrorist activities
Started with much publicity just two weeks back, the Himachal Pradesh Transport Corporation (HPTC) temporarily stopped bus services on the Chamba-Doda route due to recent terror attacks in the neighbouring Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir.
The HRTC Chamba Depot has launched a new inter-state bus service on the Chamba-Doda route, via Padri Jot and Bhaderwah, on July 2.
The service was launched to facilitate comfortable travel for people living in Chamba's border areas.
This decision to stop this bus service has been taken with passenger safety in mind.
On Monday, terrorists attacked a patrol party of the Army in Doda in which four soldiers including a captain lost his life in the line of duty.
In response to escalating security concerns, the Himachal Pradesh Police and Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) have heightened vigilance, establishing checkpoints along the 216 km border shared between Chamba and Doda.
Residents, including shepherds who traverse between Chamba and Doda, have been urged to remain cautious. Despite receiving intelligence inputs, officials refrained from disclosing specifics about the movements of terrorists in Himachal Pradesh.
Sources said that there are apprehensions that terrorists could also try to sneak into Himachal Pradesh after facing pressure from the forces in Jammu and Kashmir.
