Just a day after a ‘red alert’ was sounded in Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore district following intelligence inputs of six Lashkar-Taiba (LeT) terrorists’ entry into the state, Vellore and Tiruvannamalai have also heightened security precautions. Important places of interest have been provided with security cover with key localities coming under the police radar.
According to one report in The Hindu, special police teams have been deployed to provide security for the Vellore Fort, a famous 16th-century structure, as well as the Jalakandeswarar Temple in the vicinity. Security checks are also being carried in busy junctions like Katpadi, Arakkonam and Jolarpet. With 'storming operations' being undertaken by the police, personnel belonging to the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) inspected the Vellore old bus terminus, Golden Temple and the Sripuram Hospital.
Notably, the famous Arunachaleswarar temple in the district has been placed under a three-tier security cover. Sibi Chakravarthy, Superintendent of Police, Tiruvannamalai told The New Indian Express that all four gates to the Arunachaleswarar temple have been brought under strict vigil. “Visitors are being frisked, baggage is being checked. Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad men are also pressed into service in the temple premises,” he said.
On Thursday, the Coimbatore City Police received intelligence inputs about six LeT (Lashkar-e-Taiba) terrorists who have come into Tamil Nadu through Sri Lanka. A portion of the alert issued by an undisclosed agency to the officers read: “..a group of six LeT (Lashkar-e-Taiba) terrorists have entered Tamil Nadu through Sri Lanka. The group consists of one Pak National and five Sri Lankan Tamil Muslims.”
In addition to tightened security at airports and railway stations, vehicle checks and random checks were put in place in crowded places in the region. 10 Quick Reaction Teams (QRTs) were stationed at strategic points.