Millitant threat to Vaishnodevi temple

JAMMU: Security has been beefed up in and around Vaishno Devi shrine and its base camp Katra following a militant’s threat to blow it up, official sources said on Friday.

Following the threat by the militant to blow up the Vaishno Devi shrine and some other religious places besides Jammu, Amritsar and Jalandhar Railway Stations, security in and around the shrine and the base camp at Katra has been tightened, the sources said.

A militant, who identified himself as Karim Ansari, wrote a letter on Thursday to Jalandhar Railway Station Master, S K Ghosh that the station would be blown up along with Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir and other shrines in Punjab, they said.

Security at all the check points have been beefed up from the entrance of the Katra holy town, the sources said adding CRPF and police have been asked to monitor round-the-clock movement of persons arousing suspicion.

Checking has been intensified, they said