Sriganganagar, December 6
Have two top operatives of the Al - Qaida, the terrorist outfit
targeted by the USA in the ongoing war against terror, crossed over
into India for activating their cells, recruit members and carry out
sabotage activities ?
The answer may be in the affirmative going by the red faces in the
higher echelons of the security agencies operating on the border
following a successful infiltration in the Bikaner Sector. The lid on
the episode was blown when five officials of the Border Security Force
(BSF) were suspended today and placed under detention for their
alleged negligence while on duty. The fencing in this sector lit at
night.
Those suspended include the Mansarovar Post Commander,
Sub-Inspector Ummed Singh, a havildar and three guards of a patrolling
party. The post falls in the Khajuwala area of the neighbouring
Bikaner district and is currently being manned by personnel of the 30
Battalion of the BSF.
A patrolling party had reported the footprints of two persons on
the mud track along the barbed wire fence on the morning of November
27. This sent alarm bells ringing and officials went into an overdrive
to arrest the infiltrators. The footprints were reportedly traced to
Chak 31 KYED village and the main road beyond it. The villagers are
said to have expressed their ignorance about any suspicious movement
in the vicinity of the village that night or early that morning,
sources said.
The officials are at present being held incommunicado and being
interrogated by senior BSF and intelligence officers as to how the
infiltration took place “ right under their noses “ especially
when a big Pakistani post, Chinarwali, is located just a kilometre
away and there have been reports of “ unusual activity.”
Sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said officials were at
their wits, end to ascertain the identity of the two infiltrators when
patrolling and vigilance of all movement on this side of the border
were at an all-time high following an exercise of the Pakistani army
currently underway on the other side.
Not ruling out the possibility of infiltration by top members of
the terrorist outfit and help in their mission by their sympathisers
this side, the sources said a massive search operation was underway
and the villagers had been asked to report the movement of any
strangers. However, it may prove to be a delayed reaction, since the
infiltrators could be anywhere in the country by now, the sources
opined.
Detailing the sequence of events, the sources said the infiltration
was so well-planned that it was likely that some important functionary
had crossed over. Such infiltration would have taken at least 10 - 15
minutes and the evidence pointed it to be the handiwork of
professionals. But for the footprints nobody could have known for days
that any infiltration had taken place.
The infiltrating duo took their time to cut the outer barbed wire
fence and the tight roll of the cobra wire in between the main fence.
They are said to have patched up all the wires in their place before
disappearing, the sources revealed.
There have been a few instances of infiltration in these parts
earlier and in these incidents. the wires were just cut and left that
way. In one instance, a ladder was used to scale the fence while in
another instance, the infiltrators dug a tunnel under the fence, the
sources added.
