Intelligence agencies have made a major revelation ahead of Republic Day, warning of a possible coordinated terror strike code-named ‘Operation 26-26’.
A high alert has been issued across Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir amid inputs suggesting terrorist attacks could be carried out on or before January 26.
Security forces in the national capital were placed on heightened alert on Wednesday after intelligence agencies flagged the threat of a synchronised strike timed with Republic Day celebrations.
According to sources, potential targets include prominent religious sites such as the Ram Temple in Ayodhya and the Raghunath Temple in Jammu, along with other temples and cities.
Sources told NDTV that the plot is allegedly being orchestrated by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) through the terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed, with logistical support from Punjab-based gangsters. Jaish-e-Mohammed was responsible for the car bomb explosion outside the Red Fort in November, which killed 15 people.
In response, security agencies have intensified preventive measures. Posters of wanted individuals have been put up across Delhi and the National Capital Region, particularly at key entry and exit points such as railway stations and bus terminals.
Among those named is Mohd Rehan, a resident of Delhi’s Chauhan Banger area, who went underground in 2016 shortly after an Al Qaeda module was busted in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal district. Others on the wanted list include Mohd Umar, Abu Sufiyan, Mohd Shahid Faisal, Syed Arshiya, and Sharjeel Akhtar.
While heightened vigilance is routine in the lead-up to Republic Day, agencies stepped up monitoring following intelligence inputs warning of attacks by Khalistani terrorist organisations, with criminal elements from Punjab allegedly acting as “foot soldiers”.
Fresh inputs have further underscored the elevated threat level, pointing to statements by the so-called ‘Falcon Squad’, a terror unit linked to the Kashmir-based Resistance Front, which is believed to be an offshoot of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
The Resistance Front emerged after the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status in 2019 and was responsible for the Pahalgam attack in April last year, in which 26 people, most of them civilians, were shot dead. That attack prompted a military response from India, codenamed Operation Sindoor.
Last week, Lashkar-e-Taiba reiterated its commitment to violence in Jammu and Kashmir. A video circulating on social media shows senior LeT commander Abu Musa Kashmiri delivering a hate speech at an event in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, in which he can be heard saying, “Freedom will be achieved by slitting the throats of Hindus.”
Intelligence agencies told NDTV that Kashmiri had made similar remarks prior to the Pahalgam attack, leading officials to view the video as a potential signal of a broader terrorist conspiracy.
With Republic Day approaching, security forces remain on maximum alert, intensifying surveillance and preventive operations across sensitive locations to thwart any attempt to disrupt national celebrations.