Chandigarh, April 16: Security agencies are on high alert and carrying out search operation in the border belt of Punjab, particularly in the frontier districts of Pathankot and nearby areas, on Monday after two suspected terrorists were seen in the area.
The Punjab Police, Army and paramilitary forces launched the search operation after the two suspected armed men in Army fatigues were seen near the border belt of Bamyal sector, bordering Pakistan and Jammu and Kashmir.
Pathankot district police chief Vikas Sheel Soni told the media that the security agencies had launched a search operation in the border belt.
The suspected men stopped a Maruti Alto car belonging to Maskin Ali late on Sunday night and sought a lift. However, Ali and his friend sped away, suspecting that they could be terrorists.
Ali informed the Punjab Police following which the search operation was launched on Monday morning.
Security agencies in the troubled state of Jammu and Kashmir have also been alerted about the movement of the suspects.
The Pathankot air base of the Indian Air Force (IAF) was attacked by terrorists, suspected to be from Pakistan, on January 2, 2016, leaving seven people dead.
The area has defence establishments, including the frontier IAF base and the nearby Mamoon Cantt of the Army.
Prior to the terrorist attack on the IAF base, three suspected Pakistani terrorists had carried out an attack in Dinanagar town in neighbouring Gurdaspur district on July 27, 2015.
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Pal to visit Hubballi & Vijayapura to interact with farmers affected by Waqf Board action: BJP MP
Bengaluru (PTI): BJP MP Tejasvi Surya on Tuesday said the Chairperson of Joint Parliamentary Committee on Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024 Jagdambika Pal will visit Hubballi and Vijayapura in Karnataka on November 7 to interact with farmers allegedly affected by Waqf Board's "predatory action".
The response came days after Surya had requested Pal to invite farmers from Vijayapura district as witnesses to discuss their land disputes with the Waqf Board.
"Chairman of JPC on Waqf has kindly consented to my request to visit Hubli (Hubballi) and Bijapur (Vijayapura) on 7th November to interact with farmers affected by the Waqf’s predatory action. Chairman will interact with farmer organisations, Mutts and petitions given to him will be placed before JPC," the Bengaluru South MP, who is a member of the Committee, said.
In a October 29 letter, Surya highlighted about his recent meeting with a delegation of farmers from Vijayapura district and other areas in the vicinity and had requested Pal to visit the affected regions in Karnataka to receive complaints and grievances and also have a public hearing with the farmers adversely impacted by the Waqf Board's action.
"These farmers, who have cultivated their lands for nearly a century, maintain records dating back to the 1920s and 1930s. In recent months, however, many of them have been served notices declaring their lands as Waqf property, without any accompanying evidence or explanation. The scale of these claims is substantial, with nearly 1,500 acres being designated as Waqf property in their village alone," he alleged in his letter to Pal.
According to him, the farmers claimed that apart from being served notices, changes have been made in the RTC (Record of Rights, Tenancy and Crops), 'pahani' and mutation registers for some of the land parcels without following the due process of law.
Following allegations by a section of farmers from Vijayapura district that their lands were marked as Waqf properties, Karnataka Chief Minister Sidddaramaiah has said that none of them will be evicted, and notices issued to them will be withdrawn.
