Havelock Island, January 12
Security agencies were recently alerted about a possible terror threat in line with the 26/11 Mumbai attacks in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, an international tourist destination.

Senior government officials of the island administration said the alert was sent by India’s central intelligence agencies. “Following their alert, we took steps to guard our airport, helipads and crowded areas. The threat was on Havelock Island as maximum tourists throng the place,” said Andaman and Nicobar Islands Chief Secretary Anand Prakash.

Sources in the defence establishment located on the island said the alert was received in mid-2013. Though government officials downplayed it, defence forces spoke on security-related issues that need to be addressed.

“There is an acute shortage of specialised troops that can be deployed immediately during a crisis. Though there is a small unit of the Navy’s Marine Commandos (Marcos), they are low in strength. There is also no bomb squad available in case there is an emergency,” a source said.

Apart from the Marcos, the counter-terror units located near the islands are the National Security Guard hubs in Chennai and Kolkata. “If an attack similar to that of Mumbai’s 26/11 takes place here, we may be able to contain it but that depends on the intensity of the attack. The only quick-reaction team we have is the Marcos. During the Mumbai attacks also, they were the first ones to be deployed, but later the NSG had to be flown into the city to tackle the situation as they are the ones trained in anti-hijacking and anti-hostage operations,” a source said.

ANC guards the islands

The overall security of the islands is coordinated by the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC), which was set up in October 2001. The ANC is a joint services command chaired by the Commander-in-Chief Andaman and Nicobar, under whom the Army, Navy, Air-Force and Coast Guard operate.

Attack-prone areas

The northernmost part of the islands is Landfall Island and its southern-most point called the Indira Point is 160 km away from Indonesia’s Aceh Province. An attack from this direction, given the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in these areas, cannot be ruled out. The perceived Lashkar threat to Havelock falls under the realm of maritime terrorism.

Patrolling all 572 islands impossible

India has 2.2 million sq km of Exclusive Economic Zone and the islands contain 30% of it. The EEZ off the coast of the islands is mainly guarded by the Indian Coast Guard. “But there are 572 islands and it is humanly impossible to trek all of them,” a source said.