- Laser walls for riverine areas of Indo-Pak border soon
New Delhi, Jan 17 (PTI) More than 40 vulnerable unfenced stretches along the India-Pakistan border will be covered by laser walls soon with the Home Ministry giving it a top priority to check any infiltration of terrorists in the wake of the Pathankot attack.
All these riverine stretches located in Punjab will be covered by the laser wall technology developed by Border Security Force to completely eliminate the chances of breach of the international border by Pakistan-based terror groups, a Home Ministry official said.
A laser wall is a mechanism to detect objects passing the line of sight between the laser source and the detector. A laser beam over a river sets off a loud siren in case of a breach.
As of now, only 5-6 out of around 40 vulnerable points are covered by laser walls. This beam over the river sets off a loud siren in the case of a breach.
The suspected infiltration point of Ujj river in Bamiyal used by the six Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists before storming the Pathankot air base was not covered by a laser wall.
A camera to keep watch over the 130-metre-wide river bed was found to be not recording the footage.
BSF has covered this stretch by putting up a laser wall last week before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Pathankot air base on January 9.
The border guarding force had started putting up laser walls on unfenced riverine stretches of international border last year in Jammu sector, which was more prone to terrorist intrusions till three terrorists carried out attack in Gurdaspur in Punjab in July last year.
The terrorists believed to have entered India five kms downstream of Bamiyal near the Tash border outpost – a riverine point not covered by a laser wall as well.
Bamiyal has BSF posts on either side of the river with a personnel on each post keeping a watch on the river round the clock. The area is also lit up with high mast lights.
There is a possibility that the six JeM terrorists might have walked through the dry river bed at night and BSF personnel might have missed them.
Officials said Bamiyal is not known as a drug trafficking route as no drugs have been seized here over the past 3-4 years.
The BSF has already deployed additional personnel along the border in Punjab and boat patrolling has been intensified, particularly during night.
BSF plans more laser walls along border with Pak
Ravi Dhaliwal,Tribune News Service,Gurdaspur, January 17
Post the terrorist attack on the Pathankot Air Force Station, the BSF is embracing modern technology in a big way. The security forces are all set to install the sophisticated laser wall equipment near 40-odd vulnerable stretches along the international border. Officials claim that once this mechanism is in place, it will be almost impossible for terrorists and smugglers to infiltrate. A laser wall is a device which can detect movement along the border within no time. For example, a laser beam over a riverine stretch will set off a siren in case of a breach.Since most of the vulnerable points are along the Ravi, almost all stretches on it and its tributaries will be covered with the new technology. “Once in place, it will eliminate whatever chances the militants have of crossing over,” claimed a BSF officer.Though the BSF has been consistent in its denial that Dinanagar and Pathankot attackers came across the border, a highly placed source said it was suspected that the six Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) militants who had barged into the Pathankot air base without being challenged had come via the Bamiyal Sector which was not covered by a laser wall. Also, a camera installed to keep a watch over the 130 metre-wide riverbed was found to be defunct by a BSF team. The Dinanagar terrorists are believed to have entered India 5 km downstream Bamiyal near the Tash border outpost which was not covered by a laser wall at that time. There is every likelihood that the six Pathankot terrorists may have walked through the dry riverbed at night giving the BSF the slip, said an official.Claims by some security agencies that Bamiyal was also used as a drug trafficking route was rubbished by BSF officials.
Quick action by police averted statewide panic
- A quick response by the police averted statewide scare. When the police intercepted the soldiers they were nearing completion of their navigation exercise with an Army team visiting them out of the village. Had the Army men finished their exercise before the arrival of the police, it would have led to a statewide panic and would have sent the security agencies in a tizzy, said a police officer.
PATHANKOT AFTERMATH BSF technology will secure 40 unfenced riverine stretches along the border with Pakistan
NEW DELHI: India will erect laser walls to secure more than 40 unfenced riverine stretches along the border to stop Pakistani militants from sneaking in and carrying out deadly attacks like this month’s terror strike at Punjab’s Pathankot airbase, say sources.
SAMEER SEHGAL/HT FILEThe Pathankot airbase attack highlighted India’s need to fill the gaps on its border with Pakistan.The technology developed by the Border Security Force (BSF) will be employed at all these vulnerable points in Punjab where a fence cannot be set up, with the home ministry making the issue a top priority.
A laser wall is a mechanism to detect objects passing the line of sight between the laser source and the detector. A laser beam over a river sets off a loud siren in case of a breach.
Sources say the six alleged Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorists involved in the Pathankot attack crossed over to India from Pakistan near the Ujj river at Bamiyal village in Punjab with no protective fence present in the area. A camera to keep watch over the 130-metrewide riverbed was found to be not recording footage.
As of now, only five to six of around 40 vulnerable points are covered by laser walls.
The development comes days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the site of the longdrawn encounter during which seven Indian soldiers and all the terrorists were killed and he also took stock of security at the border area.
Following the attack, defence minister Manohar Parrikar had said there were some “gaps”, adding that the BSF had been asked to give details of areas from where the terrorists could have entered and a security audit of all defence installations was also being carried out.
The BSF began erecting laser walls at unfenced riverine stretches of the international border last year in the Jammu sector, which was more prone to terrorist intrusions till three militants carried out an attack in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district in July last year.
The force put up a laser wall at Bamiyal last week before Modi’s Pathankot visit on January 9.The area has BSF posts on either side of the river with a soldier on each post keeping watch on the river round the clock. The stretch is also lit up with high-mast lights.
