New Delhi has ramped up security ahead of Independence Day celebrations, after receiving reports of potential terrorist attacks, The Times of India has reported, citing intelligence sources. India will be marking the 78th anniversary of freedom from British colonial rule on Thursday.

According to the report, a terrorist group currently operating in Jammu – part of the Jammu and Kashmir union territory on the border with Pakistan – may attempt an attack in the state of Punjab or in the capital. The intelligence, cited by the newspaper, relies on “chatter among militants” and indicates that an attack could be carried out one or two days after the celebrations, given the tightened security measures in the capital.

Over 3,000 traffic officers, more than 10,000 police personnel, and 700 AI-based facial recognition cameras were deployed across New Delhi ahead of Thursday’s celebrations.

The Times of India’s sources said that recently, two individuals carrying weapons were seen in the village of Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir, where a counter-terrorist operation is underway following  a deadly attack  on an Indian Army convoy on July 8.

“The threat is exacerbated by the possibility of reprisal action by elements disgruntled due to certain decisions or actions taken by the government,” the source noted, in a likely reference to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government’s move in 2019 to abolish Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, which previously granted special privileges to the greater Kashmir region. Scrapping Article 370 was one of Modi’s core promises ahead of the 2019 general election.

Pakistan denounced the decision at the time, and pledged to use all means at its disposal to counter the “illegal steps.” Kashmir has been at the center of a major territorial dispute between the neighboring countries for several decades. In 2021, India and Pakistan announced a ceasefire along the Line of Control (LOC) that divides the Kashmir region, but sporadic clashes continued in the area. The security situation has deteriorated in the past few months. 

New Delhi has repeatedly accused Islamabad of backing Islamist militants involved in “cross-border terrorism” in Jammu and Kashmir. Last month, the Indian leader said Pakistan was “failing to learn from history” by backing terrorism.  

Pakistan is currently celebrating its Independence Day, marking the liberation from British colonial rule on August 14, 1947.

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