Intelligence Warns of Imminent Threats to High-Security Jails in Jammu and Kashmir

 Security agencies have issued a high alert over potential terror strikes targeting key prisons in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly those housing high-profile terrorists and overground workers (OGWs). According to intelligence sources, Srinagar Central Jail and Kot Bhalwal Jail in Jammu are among the facilities identified as vulnerable.

The threat assessment comes in the aftermath of a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. The agency recently questioned two OGWs—Nisar and Mushtaq—implicated in the Indian Army vehicle ambush case. Both individuals are currently incarcerated at Kot Bhalwal Jail.

In response to the heightened threat level, Director General of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), R.S. Bhatti, convened a high-level meeting with senior security officials in Srinagar on Sunday. The CISF assumed control of prison security in Jammu and Kashmir from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in October 2023.

The meeting is being interpreted as part of a broader push to reinforce security infrastructure across high-risk detention facilities. In recent weeks, authorities have intensified their crackdown on terrorist networks in the Union Territory, interrogating suspects and OGWs linked to ongoing investigations. In a symbolic and strategic move, homes belonging to individuals suspected of involvement in the Pahalgam attack have been demolished.

The April 22 terror attack in Baisaran Valley, Pahalgam, claimed 26 lives, including that of a Nepali national. Intelligence reports suggest that the strike was originally planned for Srinagar to coincide with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit on April 19. However, after the visit was cancelled due to inclement weather, the militants allegedly redirected their operation to Pahalgam.

As the region grapples with a renewed wave of militancy, authorities remain on high alert, with prison security emerging as a critical front in the ongoing counterterrorism effort.