Uttarakhand will have its own crack anti-terror force with the commissioning of a new 100-member commando unit soon.
Drawn from among the best in the State police force, the commandos have undergone rigorous training on the lines of the elite National Security Guard and will be deployed initially during the upcoming Kumbh Mela that will witness lakhs of devout Hindus arriving in the holy town of Hardwar early next year, a senior official told The Hindu over the weekend.
The mammoth Kumbh Mela and several vital installations including the Indian Military Academy and a few public schools here in Dehra Dun and Mussoorie have been on terrorists’ hit list for quite some time now. The authorities describe the anonymous letters threatening Mumbai-type attacks in Dehra Dun as a possible hoax masterminded by at least two persons who have posted these letters including photocopies from as far as Kanya Kumari down South.
One person threatens to blow up railway stations across North India and usually sends these letters to railway officials; he is suspected to be based in Haryana while the other threatening serial blasts in Dehra Dun seems to have posted the letters from Kanya Kumari.
“We are in touch with the Tamil Nadu and Haryana police and will nab the pranksters,” said one senior officer here.
“As a public safety measure, vigil has been stepped up in the State and anyone attempting to disturb the peace will be effectively dealt with,” the official said.
The Government is also planning to issue special identity cards to persons living along the Indo-Nepal border to identify any alien settlers. Intelligence inputs hint at Pakistan-based terror outfits making attempts to smuggle in men, fake currency and ammunition through the porous border.
Similarly Maoist elements operating silently in Kumaon division of the State are reported to be getting logistical support through the border. The police have unearthed what could have been training camps in the forests around Naini Tal and arrested a few persons last year on charges of waging a war against the nation.
