High alert as Indo-Pak border fence breached

An Indian Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) Jawan stands guard at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad on Friday. Security was further strengthened in airports across India and sky marshals ordered on flights after intelligence reports that terror groups might target an Air India flight operating from a South Asian country. Photo: AFP

Throwing security machinery into a tizzy, militants taking advantage of dense fog cut the barbed-wire fence along the Indo-Pak border for the first time in a bid to carry out infiltration.
The incident ahead of Republic Day function prompted the authorities to sound a high alert to thwart any infiltration attempt, a senior BSF officer told PTI yesterday.
"During the checking of the fencing we have detected that the fence has been cut by militants between pillar number 851 and 852 along the International Border in Abdullian Border Out Post area of Ranbir Singh border belt of Jammu district last evening," he said.
Under the cover of thick fog, the militants had cut nine wires on the Pakistani side and ten wires on the Indian side thereby creating a gap to facilitate infiltration, he said.
During checking it was found that the fence has been cut and immediately BSF, CRPF, police and army were alerted and massive searches conducted in the entire border belt and adjoining areas, 35km from here. This is for the first time that the fence has been cut and a gap created for infiltration of militants, the officer said.
"However, we feel there are less chances of militants sneaking into this side as there is another fence 500 meters behind the zero line which is intact," he said. Search operations were on in the entire border belt of R S Pura, he said, adding "no foot-prints of infiltrators have been seen.
Meanwhile, in the run up to Republic Day on January 26, the Delhi airport and the Hindon air base in nearby Ghaziabad were put on heightened alert Saturday, a day after intelligence inputs suggested that Pakistan-based militants could strike in India after acquiring para-gliding equipment.