High Alert for Republic Day After Inputs on ‘Operation 26–26’

New Delhi: With Republic Day less than a week away, security agencies have sounded a high alert following intelligence inputs pointing to a coordinated cross-border conspiracy to disrupt national celebrations. Officials said Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed have allegedly drawn up a plan, codenamed Operation 26-26, to carry out attacks in India, with Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir identified as primary targets.

In response, the Delhi Police and central security agencies have intensified surveillance across the national capital. Updated posters of high-profile “wanted” terrorists have been displayed at Metro stations, markets and other crowded public places. Citizens have been urged to remain vigilant and report any suspicious persons or objects immediately.

Security has been tightened at Delhi’s entry and exit points, with enhanced CCTV coverage and facial-recognition systems monitoring movement. Markets, transport hubs and sensitive installations are under round-the-clock surveillance, officials said.

Among those featured prominently on the posters is Arshdeep Singh alias Arsh Dala, a Canada-based chief of the Khalistan Tiger Force. Intelligence agencies describe him as a key figure in a transnational terror-gangster network. A former local gangster, he allegedly took charge of the outfit after the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada in June 2023. Dala is accused of orchestrating targeted attacks aimed at fuelling communal tensions, including the 2022 murder of a Hindu man in Delhi allegedly selected due to a religious tattoo.

Also listed are Ranjeet Singh Neeta, chief of the Khalistan Zindabad Force, and Paramjeet Singh Pamma, both suspected of coordinating arms smuggling, funding and logistical support for pro-Khalistan activities from abroad.

The posters also highlight suspected jihadi operatives, including Sharjeel Akhtar of Sambhal, Mohammed Rehan of northeast Delhi’s Chauhan Bangar, allegedly linked to an IS module, and Mohammed Abu Sufyan, a senior operative of Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS).

Abu Sufyan, a native of Jharkhand’s Chatra district, is believed to have trained in Jamshedpur before travelling to Pakistan and Nepal. Intelligence agencies say he later returned to India to build AQIS sleeper cells and is currently suspected to be hiding in Afghanistan or Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Officials said the heightened security grid will remain in place through Republic Day to prevent any attempt to disturb public order or national celebrations.