Mumbai, May 6 (Deccan Chronicle): All major airports in South India have been put on high alert following an alert by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), which says an airport in the south may be attacked by terrorists.
International airports in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kochi, Mangalore, Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram have been put on high alert, IBNLive reports. The local police have been asked to increase checking of all vehicles and passengers near airports and roads leading to them.
The BCAS has warned all southern airports of potential car-bomb attacks. According to intelligence sources, last week's arrest of a Sri Lankan national at the Chennai airport, who is an ISI agent, has revealed a plot. According to these sources, the ISI is planning to attack an airport or a vital installation in the South.
On May 1, a crude bomb went off in a Bangalore-Guwahati Express after it had pulled up at the Chennai Central Railway Station. The blast killed a 24-year-old passenger and left 14 others injured.
"In view of the above, the following security measures are required to be strengthened by all agencies concerned to prevent any act of unlawful interference with civil aviation operations," Sharath Srinivas, regional deputy commissioner, BCAS, wrote in a letter.
According to police sources, the measures include controlling access to airport buildings and aviation facilities, counter-terrorist measures in adjoining reas, increased random screening at entry points to terminal buildings and extra screening of passengers before boarding. BCAS has also asked airports to check vehicles entering car parks.
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has already asked all Airport Security Groups at 59 airports to tighten access-control, re-inforce quick reaction teams and undertake multiple screening of suspect passengers, the report says.