Amidst ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign under “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav" to celebrate the 76th Independence Day, massive security arrangements have been made across Tripura for peaceful observance of Independence Day on Tuesday next, despite no specific security threat for Tripura, but general alert has been issued by Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

Though some insurgent groups of Northeast had issued their boycott calls for I-Day, but so far no such boycott calls for Tripura have been issued by any insurgent groups.

Speaking with Northeast Herald, AIG (Law and Order) Jyotishman Das Choudhury said that so far state police does not have any information over shutdown call by few insurgent groups of Northeast had on the day of Independence, but there are threats from insurgents groups of the state camped in neighbouring Bangladesh and they through their resurgence bid are continuously maintaining have links with their collaborators and trying to organize any sabotage activities. But, police and other security forces are continuously maintaining the top standard of security to contain these insurgent group activities.

He said that the border guards are maintaining extra vigil in all patches of the Indo-Bangla border to spoil any attempt of infiltration or entry of anti-social elements into the state’s territory.

 He said state police have also intensified their counter-insurgency operations in a few interior parts of the state by deploying TSR and other Central Arms Police Forces (CAPFs).

The state police are continuously keeping in touch with BSF authorities and holding meetings with top authorities of BSF to strengthen their surveillance in the entire border area for peaceful celebration of Independence Day. He added that BSF has also been alerted to ensure that under-ground rebels and other miscreants do not enter Indian territory through the Tripura border with Bangladesh.

However, as normal security arrangements before the celebrations of I-Day, all interior police stations are now conducting raids in once militant infested areas and all police stations of the state have been ordered to maintain extra alert in their respective areas. Search operations have also been intensified in some specific areas of the state during the period of the past few days, said Das Choudhury.

All the urban police stations of the state have also been conducting search operations in all busy market places, rail stations and railway tracks in Tripura, bus stands, airport and hotels. Police have also pressed into action dog and bomb squads in Agartala including rail stations and railway tracks and other places of the state that would continue up to peaceful observance of I-day on August 15 next.

Though terrorism has come down near zero significantly in Tripura, but after their resurgence bid, patrolling along the national highway, other important highways and interior places have been intensified as a preventive measure along the patrolling in stretches of Indo-Bangla border by BSF jawans.

While, police sources said that as normal precaution, Central intelligence wings and the MHA have issued general alert for all the Northeastern states to keep a strict vigil in the run-up to Independence Day and prevent any attempt of sabotage.

Police sources added that all TSR battalions were asked to conduct special operations in their respective areas along with counter-insurgency (CI) operations in all interior areas and they already started their operations.

The checking of all vehicular movements in different gates (Naka point) across the state has also been started and police along with other security forces are taking constant vigil on the movements of all vehicles, said police.

BSF sources in Tripura Frontier said vigil and patrolling intensified to prevent movement of anti-national elements. Instructions have been given to the commanders to ensure that there should be zero infiltration.

All precautions like regular checking of vehicles and increased security in guarding vital installations have been taken. Security has also been stepped up at the civil secretariat, Agartala airport and Raj Bhavan besides the residences of ministers and VIPs as normal procedures, said police.

In a separate directive, the director general of Civil Aviation has asked airport authorities to tighten the vigil in and around all airports in Northeastern states and CISF has been put on high alert.