Politicos in poll-bound states on terrorists' radar: Report
Politicians in the poll-bound states including Punjab, UP, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur could be targetted by terrorists, the intelligence agencies have reportedly warned. As per a report, a Lashkar-e-Taiba module has been specifically formed with a task to destabilise electoral process in these states. It's also being said that a number of BJP and RSS leaders could be their target.
Intelligence agencies have warned that politicians in the poll-bound state of Punjab as well as in Jammu and Kashmir could be potential targets for Islamic and Sikh terror outfits during the election season.According to sources, law enforcement agencies have been warned of possible attacks in Punjab, Uttarakhand and UP, all states that will go to assembly elections next month. Police has been asked to step up patrol at rallies and other events.Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, deputy CM Sukhbir Badal and J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti Sayeed have been identified as high-value targets by Sikh and Islamic terror groups, the alerts suggest. Although Mufti is not associated with elections, she has been identified as a high-value target due to unrest in her state in the past year.ALSO READ|Terror outfits plotting Nice-style lone-wolf attacks for Republic Day, say intelligence sourcesTop officials associated with security arrangements for elections and counting in these states have already held several rounds of meetings. They have also been asked to brief security personnel on ground to ensure maximum security cover, said officials.According to an input, a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) module has been specifically formed with a task to destablise electoral process in these states. Another alert based on the disclosures made by a youth affiliated to Islamic State has also revealed plans to target a number of BJP/RSS functionaries and leaders.It is suspected that Lashkar has formed a six-member fidayeen module to target top political leaders. To execute the plan, LeT is trying to subvert security personnel associated with VIP security to extract information about the movement of their intended targets, said officials.ALSO READ|Security beefed up for Delhi-Lahore bus, Samjhauta Express ahead of Republic Day