Anti-Infiltration Grid to be strengthened
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 11: A high-level meeting of senior BSF and police officials from Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab was held at Kathua district to review the situation along the International Border with Pakistan and strengthen the Anti-Infiltration Grid.
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Kathua district is located at the border between Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab, both of which share the International Border with Pakistan from where infiltration by the terrorists has been reported in the recent past.
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The high-level meeting comes days after terror attacks in Hiranagar sector in which two terrorists and a CRPF jawan were killed and a civilian was injured and Badnota in Billawar in which five Army soldiers were martyred and an equal number of others were injured. There were also reports of movement of the terrorists in Pathankot area of Punjab, bordering Kathua.
The BSF and police officials from Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab discussed ways to share real-time inputs and further strengthen the anti-infiltration grid along the International Border in the meeting.
There were reports that the terrorists behind the Monday ambush on an Army patrol could have infiltrated through the International Border (IB) either into Kathua and Samba districts in the Jammu region or Pathankot in Punjab, the sources said.
The Security Grid along the IB in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab was reviewed along with measures to plug any loopholes to counter infiltration from Pakistan, they said while giving details of the meeting that was held at the District Police Lines in Kathua and chaired by Border Security Force (BSF) Special Director General, Western Command, Y B Khurana.
Director General of Police R R Swain and his Punjab counterpart Gaurav Yadav were among those present at the more than three-hour-long meeting.
The meeting was also attended by J-K Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Vijay Kumar, Punjab ADG (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla, ADG (Jammu Zone) Anand Jain.
Spl DG, IS, R.N Dhoke, Spl DGP, (Law and Order), Punjab, IGPs BSF A.K Digambar, D.K Boora, DIGs Dr Sunil Gupta, JSK Range, J&K Police, S.S. Maan, DIG Samba Kathua Range,BSF, Rakesh Kaushal, DIG Border Range Punjab and other officers.
The menace of border smuggling, narcotics, arms, and contraband was deliberated upon.The officials reviewed recent seizures and intelligence inputs, identifying key smuggling routes and methods. The meeting highlighted the importance of strengthening checkpoints, increasing frisking operations, and enhancing the capabilities of canine units.
“The officers emphasized the importance of coordinated patrolling and the deployment of advanced technology, including drones and night-vision devices to monitor and secure the border effectively,” the officials said.
The officers also stressed the need for inter-agency cooperation and real-time information sharing to dismantle the narcotics networks.
Following the presentation by DIG JSK Range, IG BSF Jammu, DIG BSF Gurdaspur, and SSP Pathankot, in-depth discussions were conducted addressing key security concerns. In light of the discussions, several strategic initiatives were proposed to augment the security framework along the border.
To foster better coordination and synergy between the BSF and Police forces of Punjab and J&K, the meeting recommended regular joint training sessions and drills.
The meeting also comes at a time when terror activity has increased in the otherwise peaceful Jammu region with terrorists managing to carry out five attacks within a span of one month — between June 9 and July 8.
On the infiltration, the officials said the routes in Jammu, believed to have been used by the terrorists, were active when militancy was at its peak in the area over two decades ago. The Jammu region was cleared of terrorists but the revival of terror activities has led to serious security concerns.
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