Coimbatore, Aug 13 (IANS) Security has been tightened across Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, ahead of Independence Day celebrations on August 15, with police and central security agencies stepping up surveillance at transport hubs and other important locations.
As part of the heightened arrangements, personnel from the Railway Protection Force, Government Railway Police, Coimbatore City Police and the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad carried out intensive checks at Coimbatore Railway Junction on Wednesday.
Trains stationed at platforms, parcel storage sections, waiting halls and other vulnerable points were inspected using specialised bomb-detection equipment and a sniffer dog.
Passengers and their belongings were also subjected to checks, while security personnel maintained surveillance in and around the station. Similar measures have been introduced at Coimbatore International Airport, where access control, baggage screening and monitoring have been strengthened ahead of the national celebration.
The elaborate precautions assume significance because Coimbatore has long been regarded by security agencies as a sensitive city. On February 14, 1998, a series of bomb explosions struck several locations in Coimbatore shortly before then BJP president L.K. Advani was scheduled to address an election meeting. The coordinated blasts, intended to target Advani, killed 58 people and injured more than 200. His delayed arrival prevented him from reaching the rally venue before the explosions.
The city again came under the security spotlight on October 23, 2022, on the eve of Deepavali, when a car laden with explosives exploded near the Kottai Sangameswarar Temple at Ukkadam. The vehicle’s driver, Jameesha Mubeen, was killed. The National Investigation Agency later described it as an ISIS-inspired suicide attack and took over the investigation. The NIA subsequently conducted searches at numerous locations in Coimbatore and elsewhere in Tamil Nadu while probing the car blast and suspected radicalisation and recruitment networks.
In February 2024, the agency searched 21 locations across the state in connected cases and arrested four suspects.
Earlier operations had also led to the seizure of electronic devices and documents. Against this background, police are maintaining a heightened vigil at crowded public places, transport terminals, commercial areas and places of worship.
Patrols and vehicle checks have been intensified, and members of the public have been asked to immediately report unattended objects or suspicious movements to the police. Officials said the enhanced deployment would continue through Independence Day.
–IANS
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