Security beefed up ahead of R-Day

Cops stop bus service from R.S. Pura before sunrise

SUMIT SHARMA

JAMMU: Acting on inputs about possibility of terror attack ahead of Republic Day, the J&K police has set up nakas on all roads connecting border villages with Jammu city in a bid to plug any loopholes in security.
Going a step further, the police also issued orders that the buses from R.S. Pura Bus Station that used to start at around 4 a.m. will now begin operating only after sunrise.
Informed sources said that the police had inputs about possible terror attack, following which it has increased the vigil and to beef up the security has established nakas on all roads connecting border villages with Jammu city.
The drivers of the buses coming from R.S. Pura which start their services early in the morning have now been directed to depart only after sunrise.
Sources said that security forces have laid additional nakas on these roads, especially at Balol Bridge, Chakroi, Abdullian and others.
Suchetgarh, Korotana, Jabboana, Wainsan, Kotli Shah Daula, Rakh Chatha, Kullian and Dinde Kalan are some of the villages situated near International Border under tehsil R.S. Pura.
The border villages are patrolled by security forces on routine basis.
“Each vehicle coming from border is being subjected to thorough checking and frisking. The nakas have been set up with the help of paramilitary forces,” SP Headquarters Romesh Kotwal said.
He further said that the vehicles which started plying early were being stopped at the nakas and allowed to proceed for their destinations only after sunrise.
However, the delay in bus services is likely to affect the milk supply to Jammu as 60 per cent of the milk being supplied comes from R.S. Pura and its peripheries.
“Most milkmen from border villages like Abdullian, Dableer, Miran Sahib, Maralian and R.S. Pura supply milk in Jammu. Besides, Jammu also gets milk from Gajansoo and Nagrota,” said Dr Saleem, former Health Officer of Jammu Municipal Corporation.
When asked, the police said that the decision to allow movement of vehicles from border areas only after sunrise has been taken as most of the recent terror attacks took place at dawn.
Meanwhile, there was panic in the Arnia area today after some villagers heard gun shots in the wee hours near Indo-Pak International Border.
There were reports that gun shots were heard from near the fence in between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. but BSF said that there is peace on the entire border in the Arnia sector and nothing untoward happened.
“We heard gun shots and got panicky, whether it was cross border fire or any terror attack in the area,” said a local resident.
When contacted, BSF officials said that it may have been some firing like incident on the other side of border. They added that a high-alert has already sounded on the entire IB from Kathua to Akhnoor in Jammu region.