Jawans of the Border Security Force (BSF) on Saturday detected another 150-metre long and 30-feet deep cross-border tunnel, fourth in the last six months, in the Pansar area of Kathua district.
The tunnel was detected between border pillar number 14 and 15. A similar tunnel was detected barely 10 days ago in the Bobiya area of Samba sector on January 13.
Ground reports suggested the starting point of the tunnel was located closer to two Pakistani border outposts Abhiyal Dogra and Kingre-de-Kothe located in Shakargarh area. On the Indian side, the local BSF commanders passed necessary instructions to their foot soldiers to remain in a state of high alert in the run up to the Republic Day celebrations as Pakistani rangers may try to push heavily armed infiltrators inside the Indian territory to launch terror attacks on vital security installations.
Till the time of filing the report the BSF authorities were trying to ascertain whether the same tunnel was recently put to use by the Pakistan-based handlers to push a group of terrorists inside the Indian territory. After supervising the tunnel on ground zero, Inspector General of BSF, Jammu Frontier NS Jamwal told reporters, “The tunnel was detected by the BSF troops during an ongoing anti-tunneling drive launched in the area on Saturday”. He said after receiving intelligence inputs about the presence of another tunnel an extensive drive was carried out in the forward area which resulted in detection of this tunnel.
Briefing media persons, IG BSF also claimed the tunnel was designed on the same pattern as all previous tunnels. “Without the active connivance of Pakistani establishment and their consent it is not possible to come closer to the zero line,” he said.
He also added, apart from providing technical support, the Pakistani establishment had carefully studied the soil engineering to see whether it can sustain a tunnel or not and also provided other logistics to smoothly execute the task.
“All this is done as per their nefarious designs and with an aim to disturb peace in the region”, IG BSF said.
The area where the tunnel was detected remained active in the past as well. BSF had shot down a Pakistani Hexacopter carrying load of weapons and ammunition in June 2020 in the same area. BSF troops had also foiled an infiltration bid in the same area in Nov 2019 wherein BSF troops had fired upon the party trying to infiltrate into India.
Earlier, BSF had detected a 20-25 feet deep and 160 metres long cross border tunnel, along the International border in the Regal area of Samba sector on November 22, 2020.
The tunnel was believed to be used by the four-member fidayeen squad (members of a suicide squad) of Jaish-e- Mohammad (JeM), to infiltrate inside the Indian territory before they were neutralised at Ban Toll Plaza near Nagotra on November 19.
Another ‘rat hole’ tunnel, which was at least 25 feet deep and 170 metres long, was detected by the Border Security Force (BSF) jawans along the International border in Galar village of Samba sector on August 28, 2020.
Besides the 1,700- km-long LAC sector in Ladakh, the armed forces have ramped up their military strength in terms of personnel and weapons all along the other LAC stretching from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh.