Home Secretary Reviews J&K Security Ahead of Republic Day

The meeting comes in the backdrop of Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s recent directive on January 8, urging security agencies to intensify their crackdown on terrorist infrastructure and terror financing networks in a sustained “mission mode.”

Meanwhile, the security forces on Wednesday ramped up a major search operation in Kathua, expanding the cordon to cover several remote villages of the frontier district as part of an intensified effort to locate and neutralise terrorists suspected to be hiding in the area, officials said.

The Home Secretary arrived in Jammu in the afternoon on a two‑day visit, accompanied by a central team of senior officers. Without delay, he proceeded to the convention centre where he presided over the comprehensive security review. The meeting brought together top officials, including Intelligence Bureau Director Tapan Deka, BSF Director General Praveen Kumar, CRPF Director General G. P. Singh, and Jammu and Kashmir DGP Nalin Prabhat, along with senior representatives from the Army, police, civil administration, and intelligence agencies.

Officials briefed the Home Secretary on the extensive anti‑terror operations currently underway across Jammu, particularly in high‑altitude terrains and dense forest belts. Security agencies believe that nearly three dozen militants — including several Pakistani nationals — remain concealed in these areas after infiltrating into the region more than two years ago. The operations, they said, are aimed at neutralising these groups before they can regroup or attempt attacks.

The meeting also examined the recent surge in drone activity along the International Border (IB) and the Line of Control (LoC). Intelligence inputs indicate that drones are increasingly being used for surveillance, arms drops, and logistical support to infiltrating groups. With dense winter fog providing natural cover, official agencies fear that militant groups may attempt fresh infiltration bids in the coming weeks. Officials emphasised the need for heightened vigilance, enhanced night‑surveillance capabilities, and coordinated responses between border‑guarding forces and local units.

The Home Secretary is expected to hold further discussions during his two‑day visit, focusing on inter‑agency coordination, technological upgrades, and ground‑level preparedness to ensure a secure and incident‑free Republic Day across J&K.

Security forces on Wednesday intensified a large-scale search operation in Kathua, widening the cordon across several remote villages in an effort to track down and neutralise militants believed to be hiding in the region, officials said. The operation, which began on Tuesday, was launched after credible intelligence indicated the presence of an armed militant in the Najote forest area of Billawar tehsil.

According to officials, multiple gunshots were heard shortly after the search teams moved into the dense forest belt, though no direct contact was established with the suspected militant. Fresh intelligence inputs later suggested that the individual may have slipped through the security perimeter under the cover of darkness and the rugged terrain. Investigators believe he briefly approached a shepherd around midnight to obtain food before retreating deeper into the forested area.

In response, reinforcements were rushed to the spot, and security personnel have now expanded the cordon to more than a dozen villages surrounding Najote. Multiple teams are combing the area from different directions to prevent the suspect and any possible associates from escaping.

Simultaneously, the J&K Police’s counterinsurgency Special Operations Group (SOG) launched a separate cordon-and-search operation in Jakhole Baira and nearby villages in the Rajbagh area after a local resident reported the suspicious movement of two individuals near his cattle shed. Despite extensive searches, no trace of the suspects has been found so far, officials said.

With Republic Day approaching, security agencies have heightened vigilance across the Jammu region, particularly in border villages and high-altitude pockets that have historically been vulnerable to infiltration attempts. The recent spike in drone intrusions from across the border has further raised concerns, prompting the deployment of additional forces at sensitive locations.

Officials said intensified patrolling, area domination exercises, and enhanced night surveillance are underway to thwart any infiltration bid or attempts to airdrop weapons, explosives, or narcotics. Security forces remain on high alert as operations continue across multiple sectors to ensure peace and stability in the run-up to the national celebrations.