By Our Correspondent
Bhubaneswar, Jan. 22, 2015

The Odisha government has asked police in all 30 districts to remain on high alert after intelligence inputs suggested that the state was one of the targets of Pakistani terrorists.

The state director general of police (DGP) Sanjiv Marik told reporters here, “We have asked police in all 30 districts of the state to remain in a state of alert. Some districts where the threat perception is higher have been asked to maintain stricter vigil.’

“It may not necessarily be a big attack. But the threat of a small attack is definitely there,” Marik said.

Lalit Das, special secretary in the home department said besides the police in 30 districts, the 18 marine police stations in the state have also been asked to remain in a state of high alert.

“Security forces have been asked to keep an eye on crowded public places and meeting venues which are more vulnerable to terrorist attacks,” he said.

S.N. Tiwari, former DGP of Odisha, said that two members of the Indian Mujahideen (IM), a wing of LeT, had come to Bhubaneswar a few months ago and had stayed in a hotel in Master Canteen area.

“Three SIMI members had recently escaped from the jail in Bhopal while its other members had gone from Maharashtra and joined the ISIS outfit in Syria. Taking all these into consideration, it is most likely that the IM has surveyed some areas of Odisha,” he informed.

Tiwari said the Odisha Police should make efforts to get first-hand information about the modules prepared by the IM.

“This apart, the state police should take note of the involvement of a terrorist group that had carried out a series of blast in Bangladesh which is not far away from Balasore district where there are a number of key establishments like Interim Test Range (ITR),” he added.

According to intelligence inputs, three terrorist outfits from Pakistan have targeted four Indian states, including Odisha. The other three states on the terrorist target are Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

Inputs shared by the Intelligence Bureau with the four states said four action groups of three Pakistan sponsored Jehadi terrorist outfits—Jamat ud Dawa (JuD), Lakshar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish- e-Mohammad and Hizbul Mujaheedin — have entered India to carry out terrorist attacks before January 28.