Marine Commandos would be deployed in Dal Lake, and in other water bodies to minimize the threat to the meeting.
SRINAGAR: After Friday’s gunfight in the forests of Rajouri, fresh security review meetings were being held and coordinated efforts were being made to make intelligence specific operations ahead of the G20 meeting in Srinagar.
The Union Home Ministry is closely monitoring the situation on the borders and in the sensitive roads and highways of Jammu and Kashmir, to thwart any attempt by terrorists to carry out any sensational attack ahead of the G20 meet in Srinagar city. Due to the enhanced security and intelligence grid, army and security forces were able to repel many infiltration bids both in Jammu and Kashmir and they are trying to arrest the overground workers so that there is no chain available for attack on ground.
In the past two days, two encounters in Baramulla and at Machil in Kupwara district in which four terrorists were killed speak about the threat and the alertness of security forces. Fresh gunfight in the forest of Rajouri in which five men in uniform along with a major rank army officer were killed on Friday, indicate that the threat persists and the central government is monitoring the situation very closely and seriously so that G20 meeting in Srinagar passes off without any ugly incident. The attack in the Bijbehara area of South Kashmir in which a cop was injured on Thursday evening was followed by recovery of arms and ammunition from a home in Pulwama district of South Kashmir.
After the series of high-level security meetings regarding the G20 meeting in Srinagar, reports said that Marine Commandos (MARCOS) would be deployed in Dal Lake of Srinagar, the venue of the G20 meeting, and in other water bodies to minimize the threat to this meeting.
Already, the central government has decided to deploy National Security Guard (NSG) teams in Srinagar to provide security cover to this important global meeting in Srinagar. The Union Home Ministry has already decided to send specialized NSG teams with counter drones to be deployed at all the venues of the G20 meeting so that there is no possibility of any drone or sensational attack at such venues.
The Army is already assisting the paramilitary forces and counter-insurgency wing of J&K police for the sensitization of sensitive areas in Srinagar and other areas of Kashmir valley.
Recently, in a high-level security meeting, GoC Kilo Force has assured the J&K police of all assistance, including domination of high reaches, corridor protection and additional (AS) teams of army for area domination at all the sensitive places in Kashmir during the night. With increase in the incidents of violence in Jammu and Kashmir, high alert has been sounded, especially for the sensitive areas and the area domination exercise is going on well before the G20 meeting in Srinagar. There have been recent intelligence inputs that there could be an attack on defence installations after the Poonch attack. As the G20 meeting is scheduled to be held in Srinagar from 22 to 24 May, army, paramilitary forces and the entire security grid along with intelligence agencies are coordinating to minimize the threat to such an important event here.