High alert after alleged Lashkar letter threatens of attacks in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat

Security forces were on high alert across Madhya Pradesh Saturday as a letter allegedly from Pakistan-based terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba threatened to blow up several railway stations, bus stands and temples – including the Ujjain Mahakal temple – across the state, Rajasthan and Gujarat on October 20 and November 9.

While there was no report of any incident in any place on Saturday as threatened in the letter, a senior intelligence official said that they are taking all the necessary precautions, and all officials concerned have been alerted.

Alerting them about the threat, the Special Branch of the Madhya Pradesh police asked the deputy inspector generals of police of Indore and Bhopal, all district superintendents of police, and superintendents of police (railway) to increase security at railway stations, bus stands and places of worship.

The handwritten threat letter allegedly from Maulvi Abu Sheikh, area commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba in Pakistan’s Rawalpindi, was received on September 29 at the office of railway station manager, Jaipur. Threatening revenge for the deaths of all jihadis, it said: “This time we will celebrate Dussehra and Diwali with bombs”.

Among other places, the terror outfit threatened to blow up the Bhopal, Gwalior, Jabalpur and Katni railway stations in Madhya Pradesh and Jaipur railway station and bus stations at several other places in Rajasthan, on October 20. They also threatened to bomb the Mahakal temple and Sai temple in Ujjain.