JAMMU - Indian authorities are worried that Jammu city, once immune from insurgency, is losing its peaceful tag.
Anti-India slogans like Go India Go Back, which hitherto were limited to Kashmir, are now visible on Jammu walls. A deserted building in Lakkar Mandi area of the city, close to the military station, still has traces of anti-national slogans which were later erased by the local police.
The building might have been used by the militants to do a recce before attacking the military camp.
The fence near the camp's family quarters is poorly managed at many places and roofing tin is being used to cover the gaps in the boundary. The security agencies are now trying to figure out whether the militants jumped from the roof of illegal structures mushrooming near the military camp to enter it.
Flouting all rules
Works of Defence Act (WDA),1903, under which construction activities have been prohibited up to 100 metres from an army establishment, has openly been flouted under the nose of army authorities in Jammu.
Dozens of structures not only touch the walls of army watch towers and fence but also have been raised above the wall. There are many security breaches near the junior commissioned officers' (JCO) and non-commissioned officers'(NCO) family quarters in Sunjwan station which may have been used by the militants to enter the highly sensitive zone.
Even old structures require a no-objection certificate from the local general officer commanding before starting repairs. Dozens of under construction or newly built structures where violations have been made are openly visible.
Hundreds of acres of government land have been encroached upon near and around the military station.