Tunnel near Eastern Command HQ has Army worried

In what could be a major security breach for the defence sector, a deep tunnel, leading to the headquarters of the Indian Army’s Eastern Command at Fort William, has been discovered. The military intelligence wing of the Army is looking into the matter, said sources.

The chance discovery of the tunnel — almost 12 feet long, around four feet wide and running below Red Road in central Kolkata — has thrown security agencies in a tizzy. The road is one of the busiest thoroughfares in the city, and used for all sorts of VIP movement, including that of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

City police arrested five people from near the tunnel between Thursday night and Friday. However, senior Kolkata Police officials claimed they are all drug addicts who often dig out and sell underground cables to sustain their habit.

The matter came to light at around 9 pm on Thursday, when a dishevelled man turned up at a Kolkata Police kiosk and informed the cops on duty about the presence of some people in the tunnel.

A patrol van reached the spot to find five persons inside the tunnel, stowing away cables and steel plates. It was later found that the informant was part of the gang, but fell out with the others after a dispute over the share of the proceeds. A senior police official told reporters, “We have informed BSNL and other agencies to verify whether these cables belong to them. We have launched an investigation into the matter.”

Although an Eastern Command spokesman told reporters the police are looking into the matter, sources said the matter has already been taken up by military intelligence, and they are concerned with the gravity of the situation.

According to Army sources, the mouth of the tunnel was just opposite one of the main entrances to Fort William, which is also the road on which the Republic Day parade takes place every year.

Sources said the five persons arrested could have been acting on instructions from people planning a major terror strike. “It would have been easy to pack the tunnel with large quantities of explosives, which would have caused significant damage and mayhem. It is unfortunate that it must have taken a lot of time to dig the tunnel, and yet it didn’t come to anyone’s notice,” said an official.

Officials agreed that the incident is reminiscent of one that took place last year in Kashmir, where Border Security Force personnel discovered a 400-meter-long tunnel from the Pakistan side into India.

“The matter is of great concern. Kolkata might not be Kashmir, but the situation is serious nonetheless because it could have been used for a major subversive act,” pointed out sources in the Army.