HP Police on high alert following Pahalgam terror attack

In wake of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on Tuesday, a high alert has been issued and security beefed up along the 240-km boundary that Himachal Pradesh shares with Jammu and Kashmir in Chamba.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday has directed the Himachal Pradesh Police to remain on high alert to avert any untoward incidents in the state. He directed the police to step up vigil along the inter-state border with Jammu and Kashmir.  

Director General of Police (DGP) Dr Atul Verma chaired a high-level meeting in Shimla today, where steps to enhance vigil along the border were discussed. He directed ensuring close coordination with intelligence units to monitor and verify any threat inputs and preparedness by Quick Response Teams (QRTs), and anti-sabotage checks at vulnerable points.  

The alert follows concern over past instances of militants seeking safe haven in the uninhabited higher reaches of Chamba, which borders Jammu and Kashmir. Though Himachal Pradesh has seen very few such instances, the state remembers the killing of 35 road construction labourers by militants at Kalaban, Satrundi area of Chamba, on August 2, 1998.