Email
Print
ShareAhmedabad/New Delhi: Two years ago, in our launch issue, we warned you of the vulnerability of Gujarat's coast to terror attacks; now, a year after the horror of 26/11, the US has sounded the same unnerving alert. US intelligence agencies issued warnings on two consecutive days -- November 2 and 3, 2009 -- about the real and current danger of terrorists mounting fresh attacks on India through Gujarat's waters.
A highly placed source in the Gujarat police confirmed that a fresh threat to Gujarat's waters had been received, and that the police were exerting to secure the marine borders. Sources in India's central intelligence establishment, who are apprised of the US alerts, told DNA that American intelligence operatives in Pakistan have received information that a Mumbai-like terror was being plotted. The marine borders of Gujarat or Maharashtra have apparently marked as points of entry.
"The intelligence input suggests that Pakistan-based terrorists are planning another round of attacks on India," a source in the central intelligence apparatus said. "This time, some Indian criminals have pledged complete support to the terrorists."
The source also said that the criminals could be a part of the terrorists' sleeper cells and may provide logistic support to the terrorists.
As for the official reaction of the Gujarat government, the state home minister, Amit Shah, said no alert had been received by the state. However, he told DNA that several coastal-security exercises had been carried out earlier to ensure fail-safe systems.
But sources in the Border Security Force (BSF), familiar with the daunting challenges of protecting the state's coast, said that Gujarat was struggling to secure the muddy and unforgiving terrain of Sir Creek. DNA had reported on Monday that the BSF believed that the disputed area is the most vulnerable spot, and it would only take a few hours for a group of terrorists to sneak into India from the Pakistani side.
The central and state governments have launched a joint operation to secure Sir Creek borders of the state, but many parts of the area remain outside their scrutiny.
"Two hovercrafts were to be sent for the BSF in Gujarat, but we are still waiting for them," a source in the BSF said.
