Official security teams have deemed Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti’s current house outside the city “unsafe”, The Wire reported.
Two security reviews by J-K Police along with other security agencies, accessed by The Wire, show that the Khimber residence, which is located in a “desolated” area on the outskirts of Srinagar’s Hazratbal locality, is “unsafe” as there were “apprehensions of [a] terrorist attack” on the former chief minister.
A report filed by the committee states that the house is located in an area where “recently militant attacks [have] happened”, lacks proper road and reliable electricity, and has poor mobile connectivity, making the former chief minister and her family “vulnerable from [a] security point of view.”
After the committee submitted its report, a “comprehensive security review” of the house was carried out by another committee of senior security officials led by a Deputy Inspector General level officer of J-K Police, which reiterated some of the concerns of the first committee.
The second committee carried out the review on November 11, noting that the house was “surrounded by orchards and open land that needs to be dominated on regular basis.” Adding to the recommendations of the first committee, it called for raising the boundary wall of the house “upto eight feet” and building a new boundary wall with a gate between the house and the barracks of security personnel.
The report said that 10 guard posts, five watch towers, one wireless grid, two access control units and “two Detts” are required to be built for securing the house.
The committee recommended construction of basic living facilities for security personnel, CCTV surveillance and parking slots for security vehicles and visitors, while stating that the building can accommodate the “security and safety needs of VIP”. It, however, noted that developing security infrastructure in the area was a “challenge” due to the presence of an overhead high-transmission electricity line and “wet and muddy” land. (The Wire)
