Militant activities in neighbouring J-K district force Himachal Pradesh to suspend Chamba-Doda bus service

A security alert has also been sounded by the Himachal Pradesh Police and personnel of the Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) deployed at a dozen checkpoints throughout the Doda-Chamba border have been instructed to remain on alert.

“Keeping in view the recent militant activities, we have alerted our police personnel and IRB personnel in district Chamba, which shares around a 216 km border with Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir. Many precautions are being taken. We are also in touch with central agencies, the Indian Army, and the Jammu and Kashmir Police as well,” said Abhishek Trivedi, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order), Himachal Pradesh, while speaking to The Indian Express.

When asked if there is any specific input about the movement of suspected militants in Himachal Pradesh, Trivedi refused to comment. He said, “We have received inputs from various sources but can’t disclose them.”

Sources added, “Shepherds, who move between Chamba and Doda with their livestock, have been asked to remain alert. Local residents too have been asked to remain vigilant.”

An official with the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC), a subsidiary of the HPTC which runs the Chamba-Doda bus service, said it has been temporarily suspended with the safety of the passengers in mind. He said the bus service will resume only after the situation in the Doda district normalises.

The HRTC official said a bus of the Chamba-Doda route returned from the bordering area of Sanghani in Chamba district on Tuesday. The HRTC bus departs from the Chamba headquarters for Doda daily at 6.30 am. The bus stays overnight in Doda and returns the next morning.