India evacuating its nationals from consulate in Afghanistan's Mazar-e-Sharif
New Delhi, Aug 10: India is evacuating its staff from its consulate in Afghanistan's Mazar-e-Sharif in view of the rapidly escalating violence by the Taliban around the capital city of Balkh province, people familiar with the development said on Tuesday.
The Indian-based staff of the consulate and a number of Indians residing in Mazar-e-Sharif are being evacuated due to the deteriorating security scenario in the city as well as areas around it, they said.
It is learnt that a special aircraft of the Indian Air Force will evacuate the staff as well as the Indian citizens from the fourth-largest city of Afghanistan.
"A special flight is leaving from Mazar-e-Sharif to New Delhi. Any Indian nationals in and around Mazar-e-Sharif are requested to leave for India in the special flight scheduled to depart late today evening," the Indian consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif tweeted.
It asked Indian citizens who want to leave by the special flight to submit the details like their full name and passport number to the consulate immediately.
It is learnt that the consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif will continue to operate through the local staff members.
Last month India pulled out around 50 diplomats and security personnel from its consulate in Kandahar following intense clashes between Afghan forces and Taliban fighters around the city.
A special aircraft of the Indian Air Force was sent to bring back the Indian diplomats, officials and other staff members including a group of Indo-Tibetan Border Police personnel.
According to government data, around 1,500 Indians are currently staying in Afghanistan.
Last week, the Ministry of External Affairs said in Lok Sabha that India remained vigilant and is taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety and security of Indians in the conflict-ridden country.
The Taliban has been making rapid advances across Afghanistan by resorting to widespread violence since the US began withdrawing its troops on May 1.
The US has already pulled back the majority of its forces and is looking to complete the drawdown by August 31.
Security Advisory for Indian Nationals in Afghanistan@MEAIndia pic.twitter.com/yB13DRpkgT
— India in Afghanistan (@IndianEmbKabul) August 10, 2021
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2nd bomb threat in 36 hours triggers security sweep at Kanpur Railway Station; no explosives found
Kanpur (PTI): A bomb threat for the second time within 36 hours triggered a massive security operation at Kanpur Central Railway Station on Friday evening, though extensive searches later found no suspicious object, police said.
An emergency call was received at the 112 control room around 7 pm, warning that the railway station would be blown up, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Satyajeet Gupta.
The alert prompted an immediate high-security response, with senior police and administrative officials, heavy police force, the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS), anti-sabotage check teams, and dog squads rushing to the station, he added.
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Police and security teams conducted intensive checks across all platforms, circulating areas, waiting halls, parcel offices, and parking zones to rule out any threat.
All suspicious items were examined, and passenger movement was closely monitored during the operation. No explosive material or objectionable object was found, the official said.
This was the second bomb scare at the station in less than 36 hours. A similar threat call had been made on Thursday at around 8.30 am, leading to a full-scale security check.
During the investigation into Friday's call, police traced the phone number to a man identified as Anil. During questioning, he told officers that his mobile phone had been missing since February 24, raising suspicion that the threat may have been issued using the lost device, Gupta told mediapersons.
Police are analysing call detail records and scanning CCTV camera footage to identify the actual caller, he said.
