Faridabad raids spotlight how Haryana is emerging as a hub for terror operatives

The operation is a wakeup call for the Haryana Police, says former Uttar Pradesh (UP) director general of police (DGP) Prakash Singh.

The seizure of nearly 2,900kg of explosive and inflammable materials, assault rifles, pistols and improvised device making components during raids in Faridabad by the Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana Police on Monday has put the spotlight on how the state is emerging as a safe haven for terror operatives.

Police officials during a search and cordon operation linked to an interstate and transnational terror module, at Fatehpur Taga village, in Faridabad district, Haryana. (PTI)

The joint operation that led to the arrest of seven people, including doctors, linked to terror outfits operating from Pakistan, is a wakeup call for the Haryana Police, says former Uttar Pradesh (UP) director general of police (DGP) Prakash Singh.

Endorsing his views, a former DGP of Haryana, requesting anonymity, said this episode underscores the growing footprint of terror networks in the state and brings to the fore the failure of “a social media-centric Haryana Police” to detect and disrupt such activities in time.

This is not the first instance of terror and terror-linked recoveries in Haryana. Improvised explosive devices (IED) had set off blasts on the Indo-Pak peace train, Samjhauta Express, on February 18, 2007. Sixty-eight people were killed after the IEDs and inflammable material triggered blasts and fire in two compartments near Panipat.

In mid-2022, the Haryana Police arrested four suspected terrorists near Karnal, allegedly linked to Pakistan-based handlers. A large quantity of explosives, including IEDs, was seized from their possession.

Wake-up call for state police

Terming the seizure of explosives and inflammable material from Faridabad a “wake-up call”, former UP DGP Prakash Singh said that Haryana Police can no longer afford to remain complacent about terror threats.

“In this era of the internet, there are no territorial or geographical limits to terror activities. The ‘khel of terror’ is becoming very dangerous,” he said, stressing the need for heightened vigilance and proactive policing and thorough sensitisation of the police force in Haryana.

“The rank and file have to be sensitised that just because the state has been free from terrorism, it doesn’t mean it will remain so always,” he said, cautioning against complacency and any sense of security based on the state’s past record.

Emphasising the urgency of the situation, he said, “It is a wake-up call for Haryana Police. Adequate measures must be taken urgently to overcome the sense of complacency and the impression that Haryana is out of the radar of terror activities.”

He said that the evolving nature of terrorism is alarming as now even “highly educated people” are being drawn towards terror activities.

NCR transit corridor

According to a former Haryana DGP, the state’s proximity to the National Capital Region (NCR) and its extensive road network make it a convenient transit corridor for terror operatives moving between northern states.

“The state’s relatively low-profile policing along inter-state borders in UP, Rajasthan and Punjab has often been exploited by sleeper cells and couriers to transport arms, funds, and operatives under the radar,” said the former DGP, pointing out that Faridabad case is a part of worrying pattern.

“It calls for a serious re-evaluation of Haryana’s internal security strategy, greater intelligence coordination with central agencies, and stronger surveillance on inter-state routes. Any complacency now risks turning the state into a logistical hub for terror networks operating across northern India,” he said.