Panic gripped Sabathu cantonment on Tuesday morning as threats in the name of terrorist outfit ISIS were found written at a number of places. The posters, supporting the ISIS, sent the entire State and Army machinery in a tizzy.
Subathu is less than 50 km from Shimla, the capital of Himachal Pradesh and a little over 50 kms from Chandigarh.
The matter, including a ISIS black flag, was found at different public places. The black flag was found hanged in Madhuban Park of Sabathu along with posters and wall writings, displaying threat of terror acts from Sabathu to Nepal. Similar slogans were found written on wall poster at Octroi collection on Sabathu-Solan road and near post office.
The appearance of suspicious threats put Army authorities on alert and the local police called forensic experts to look into the matter. All the three spots were sealed after the threats were found. The police authorities confirmed that FIR would be registered against unknown persons after the initial enquiry. A poster carried warning of bomb blasts from Sabathu to Nepal, using washing machines and television sets. Another poster with slogan of ‘ISIS coming soon’ were also found.
The slogans written in English, Hindi and Urdu, using wall spray carried warnings of terrorist attacks from Sabathu to Nepal during election period. Solan police has registered FIR against unknown persons in the matter, and police is seeking help from local people to find out the suspicious people in the area.
Additional SP Solan, Manmohan Singh said the places were slogans were written was sealed early in the morning. He, along with forensic experts visited the spot and the suspicious material has been seized by the investigating team.
The SP said that the matter was serious and police was investigating it from every angle. Though, the suspicious posters may be a mischief of some local miscreants, yet he affirmed that there might be some connection between the emergence of ISIS posters and the poisoning of water tanks in Solan few months back.
The water tanks in Solan had been poisoned at a number of places, but the disaster was averted as the authorities got timely intimation and the tanks were cleaned before consumption of the poisoned water by the people. Solan police had registered multiple FIRs in the matter of poisoning in water, but the culprits are still out of the clutches of law.
NIA had arrested a Bengaluru based youth in December 2016 for allegedly having ISIS connection from the state.