Amid terror threats, Jammu’s 2 hot spots remain vulnerable

SAHIL RASGOTRA/ SUMIT SHARMA


Attacked thrice in 17 months, Bus Stand at BC road seeks patrolling, organised parking, CCTV cameras

A favourite target for terrorists in past, Railways Station faces security lapses, unrestricted passages



JAMMU: Even in the face of heightened threat of terror attacks substantiated by intelligence inputs, Jammu remains vulnerable as its two major hot spots—Bus Stand and Railway Station are far from being secure, despite having a past connection with the militants and blasts.
While Bus Stand situated along the ever-busy BC Road is swarmed by vehicles and people alike all the time even after being attacked by militants thrice in past 17 months, the chink in the armour of Railway station are alarming too.
The danger manifolds considering the ongoing festive season and ahead of Diwali, recent infiltration from across the border, supply of huge caches of arms and ammunition into the region and more dangerously, Pakistan’s full-blown support to terror outfits to carry out major strikes across the State especially after Centre’s August 5 decisions.
In past two months, over 80 terrorists have infiltrated into Indian territory via LoC or IB, and double the number is waiting at the launchpads across the fence to sneak in, the state police chief Dilbag Singh has confirmed. The security forces have arrested at least 15 militants and their associates in this duration, some of them with huge cache of arms and ammunition from Jammu region, even as Pakistan is air-dropping weapons to militants to carry out terror strikes in Jammu and Kashmir as well as other parts of the Country, the intelligence reports have confirmed.
From LoC to IB, from Kashmir to Delhi, Punjab to Mumbai, all the security forces have been put on high state of alertness in view of related inputs. The sensitive installations have seen their security strengthened in past few weeks. The authorities at Jammu airport have banned the entry of private vehicles inside the premises but at Jammu Bus Stand and Jammu Railway Station, which sees thousands of footsteps every day, not much has changed.
Situated on ever-busy BC roads, half of whose width is taken up by buses and taxis all the time, Jammu bus stand witnesses thousands of passengers’ presence every single day, thus making it a favourite for militants to carry out maximum damage.
In past one-and-a-half year, the militants have struck thrice and inflicted two deaths while injuring 34 persons. However, the state of security at the bus stand as on the BC road is far from satisfactory.
On March 7 this year, a minor militant hurled a grenade at the bus stand, killing two people and injuring 31 others. He was allegedly given Rs 50000 by Hizbul Mujahideen to carry out the attack, which followed the grenade attack on Bus Stand police station on 28 December last year.
On May 24 last year, two cops and a civilian were injured when a grenade was thrown at the BC road.
With more such attacks staring the bus stand right in the eye, the security agencies have done little to prevent the possibility.
In fact, the lethargic functioning of police could be gauged from the fact that despite all this, there is still no CCTV cameras in bus stand or on BC Road area, which could help in nabbing the attackers.
On the previous occasions, police had to rely on CCTV footage from some of the shops in the vicinity.
“Out of forty-three CCTV cameras in Jammu city, only a few are functional including Bus Stand area,” admitted SSP Jammu Tejinder Singh.
He, however, assured for the installation of same in days to come saying that tenders have been floated.
The CCTV issue has been plaguing the police for long, even though officers up to the rank of the Director General Police Dilbag Singh have asserted that the hawk eye would be made functional ‘soon’.
The geographical location of Jammu Bus stand makes it very vulnerable for terror attacks, and the past only makes one fear more. While bus stand area has been largely peaceful until May 2018, it has seen blood in 1990s. Around 20 persons have been killed in multiple bomb blast which were carried out from 1994 to 1997.
The government in 2016 decided to decongest the BC road by constructing a mega Jammu Bus Terminal on the pattern of ISBT New Delhi with the cost of Rs 213.11 crore. It envisaged the parking of around 80 buses and 1312 cars in a five-storey multi-utility complex being raised on 54 kanals of area, with 6.5 lakh square feet concrete building, at the Old General Bus Stand site.
The deadline of the project was October 2018 but the work is far from over as we speak now.
The bus stand connects to ever-busy City Chowk, Purani Mandi and Kanak Mandi, and also Raghunath Bazar which has seen its share of bloodshed in the past.
The story in not a lot different in case of Jammu Tawi Railway Station.
The last terror attack at the Railway Station took place 15 years ago in which 5 people were killed. Three years prior to that, 13 persons were killed.
While the Railway Station has remained peaceful since 2004, the terror outfits still try to shed blood there, owing to a large number of people gathered in a small space, making a perfect recipe for disaster.
It was not far away when three terrorists had infiltrated into Indian territory to attack Jammu Railway Station, besides to carry out a chain of terror attacks by blowing up running trains and tracks with chained IEDs and hard to detect liquid explosives.
To their feat, the security forces had neutralized them in Samba district in December 2016.
“Terrorists have attacked military stations and police station in Jammu region so far. The other targets remain Jammu bus stand and Railway Station. We have inputs that they are targeting another blast at Railway Station and also to blow up railway tracks,” a top security official informed The News Now.
In past as well, terrorists have blown up a railway track in Samba in 2003 even as a blast was triggered in Shalimar Express train in Kathua district in 2000, killing five persons.
As things stand today, the Railway administration has ensured that each of 53 CCTV cameras at Jammu Railway Station is working, confirmed SSP GRP Ranjit Sambyal to The News Now.
However, the security is far from fool-proof as not every passenger that enters or exit the station is checked thoroughly.
“The X-ray scanners for baggage and metal detectors for passengers are defunct most of the time while access to the platform is available to everyone,” sources informed, adding there is not platform ticket to be bought here.
“What remains a bigger danger is the open access to the platform near the baggage section. People can be seen taking their bikes and scooters right to the platform without a single security check,” they said.
The authorities couldn’t give a satisfactory reply on this query by our scribes.

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