Delhi is on high alert for a possible drone attack before Independence Day
NEW DELHI: Security agencies have issued a high alert for a possible terror attack in the national capital before the August 15 Independence Day celebrations. According to intelligence gathered by security agencies, Pakistan-based terror organisations are capable of carrying out terror attacks using explosives-laden drones.
According to security agencies, Pakistan-backed terror groups can target vital installations and disrupt Independence Day celebrations in Delhi during the ongoing Monsoon Session.
Security agencies have warned the Delhi Police that terror groups backed by Pakistan may carry out terror attacks in the national capital on August 5 – the day Article 370 was removed from Jammu and Kashmir.
Terrorist groups, according to security agencies, are hatching a large conspiracy to cause unrest in the national capital in the coming days.
In light of the recent drone attack on the IAF station in Jammu, Delhi Police Commissioner Balaji Srivastava has directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Joint Commissioner of Police (JCP), and other Intelligence Unit officers from all districts in Delhi to be on high alert and diligently monitor the drone threat.
The order was issued a few days after two drones dropped bombs on an Indian Air Force station in Jammu. The Jammu drone attack had made states wary of this new threat.
In a meeting with city officials, the new Delhi Police chief directed station house officers (SHOs) in each district to report any calls to the police control room or information about drones in the city and investigate the threat accordingly.
In light of the drone threat, Delhi Police has also established a special control room. This time, four anti-drone systems are being installed at the historic Red Fort, in addition to the two that were installed last year. For the first time, special training is being provided to Delhi Police and other security agencies to deal with the threat posed by drones.
Aside from dealing with the drone threat, Balaji Srivastava directed city officials to take appropriate measures to protect women and children in the city. The Delhi Police Commissioner has directed that strict action be taken to reduce crimes against women and children in the city.
According to security analysts, the use of a small drone to carry out terror attacks is a watershed moment in India’s asymmetric warfare. However, it has been used elsewhere for years by Islamic State fighters to target security forces in Iraq and Syria, prompting the US and drone manufacturers to spend millions of dollars on research to stop what is sometimes referred to as the “killer bees.”
