NEW DELHI: Indian capital and parts of Gujarat were placed on a high alert on Sunday after Pakistan’s national security adviser tipped off his Indian counterpart about a possible Lashkar-e-Taiba plot to stage cross-border terrorist strikes, reports said.

The Hindu said intelligence inputs regarding a possible terrorist strike by 8-10 LeT operatives had spurred four teams of National Security Guard (NSG) to rush to Gujarat to strengthen the security cover at vital installations and famous pilgrimage centres in the state.

The paper quoted top Gujarat officials as claiming that National Security Adviser (NSA) Nasser Khan Janjua informed his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval about a group of fidayeen from the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed cadres on a mission to a major strike in the state.

(There was no confirmation from Pakistani official sources that Mr Janjua had passed on such information to Mr Doval.)

Following the message from Gen Janjua, Mr Doval sent a detailed note to the Intelligence Bureau which issued an alert, warning the security agencies in Gujarat about the putative strike particularly at “some coastal pilgrimage centres in Saurashtra or Kutch”.

“We have received four teams of NSGs, who have been deployed in Ahmedabad and Somnath temple. Along with the state police, NSG personnel are on standby mode,” said Gujarat’s DGP PC Thakur, who also issued a notification cancelling leave of all police officials and personnel asking them to report on duty immediately.

The national capital was on Sunday put on high alert and security was beefed up at vital installations, The Hindu said.

It said important buildings and crowded places were being watched after Delhi Police received inputs about a potential terrorist strike in the city by 10 suspected LeT and JeM militants who are learnt to have entered India through Gujarat.

In view of the input, Delhi Police on Sunday heightened its vigil near prominent buildings and military installations in the national capital and security arrangements were stepped up near prominent malls, hospitals, schools and colleges, a police source said.

He further said the input specifically mentions about 10 militants of LeT and JeM outfits having entered India via Gujarat and that they could carry out a terror strike in Delhi.

The police are also ensuring that CCTV cameras at all places with high footfall, like popular markets in the city and metro stations, are functional. Patrolling across the city has been intensified, the source added.

Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel told the media in national capital that the authorities had taken all measures so there was no need to worry about. “There is nothing to worry about. We are taking appropriate security measures,” Mrs Patel said.

“Somnath temple on Saurashtra coast is on high alert with beefed up security ahead of Shivratri festival on Monday,” Mr Thakur said.

Meanwhile, according to reports, all public functions to celebrate Shivratri at historical Somnath temple have been cancelled following the alert.

The state police have also heightened security cover to another historical pilgrimage centre Dwarka and Bhavnath in Junagadh where a huge fair is organised on Shivratri.

Published in Dawn, March 7th, 2016