‘Letter from LeT’ threatens to blow up railway stations

AMBALA: The station Director at the Ambala Cantonment railway station on Tuesday received a threat letter purportedly from LeT area commander Molvi Abbu Bukhari Kishtwar Kashmir, Karachi, Pakistan, to blow up railway stations and religious places in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

Shital Singh, Deputy Superintendent of Police, and Station Director BS Gill analyse the CCTV footage at Ambala Cantonment Railway Station on Tuesday. Tribune photo

Nitish Sharma

Tribune News Service

Ambala, September 25

The station Director at the Ambala Cantonment railway station on Tuesday received a threat letter purportedly from LeT area commander Molvi Abbu Bukhari Kishtwar Kashmir, Karachi, Pakistan, to blow up railway stations and religious places in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

The Director, BS Gill, found the letter on his table.

The letter cover did not bear the stamp of any post office. It appears that someone placed the letter on his table.

The letter written in Hindi talks about avenging atrocities against Muslims by Hindus and Sikhs. “On October 20, the ‘jihadis’ will blow up several railway stations including in Ambala Cantonment, Jagadhri, Saharanpur, Rewari, Panipat, Kurukshetra, Sirsa, Jakhal and Hisar. Besides, military camps, railway bridges and petrol pumps will be blown up in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh,” the letter reads.

There is a purported threat to blow up temples in Ambala, Kurukshetra, Karnal, and Saharanpur on November 10. The Director reported the matter to the Government Railway Police (GRP).

Shital Singh, Deputy Superintendent of Police, GRP, said: “An alert has been sounded. Someone placed the letter on the Director’s table. The CCTV footage will be analysed. Security agents and all officials have been directed to gather information.”

It is being suspected that it could be a prank of any railway employee.

To a query, the DSP said: “It could be a prank. Maybe some official had rebuked any railway employee and he may have sent the letter. The matter is being investigated.”

Sources say it is being suspected that the letter may have originated from Ambala. Officials failed to get any clue from the CCTV cameras installed at the railway station, as some of the cameras were not working and the remaining ones were not pointed towards the Director’s office.

A case was registered at the GRP police station under Sections 124-A, 153-A, 295-A and 505 (1) (b) of the IPC.

Divisional Railway Manager Dinesh Chand Sharma said, “The matter has been brought to the knowledge of the GRP and it is under investigation.” In the evening, a team of the bomb disposal squad inspected the railway station, while GRP staff carried out a recce and seized around 3-kg opium from a UP resident from platform number 7.

On October 12, 2011, 5-kg RDX was recovered from a car parked in the parking lot of the railway station.