Security was increased at Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) and Brindavan Gardens downstream, near Srirangapatna in Mandya district, on Monday after a bag containing an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was found near the ticket counter of Mangaluru International Airport in the morning.
Karnataka State Industrial Security Force and civil police personnel tightened security at both the historical places, which attract lakhs of tourists every year. The security personnel thoroughly frisked all tourists through door-frame and hand-held metal detectors, senior police officers said. “We also checked the baggage and vehicles of tourists who visited throughout the day, besides closely monitoring the footage captured in CCTV cameras installed at strategic locations in both places,” an officer said.
The reservoir is considered the lifeline of several districts in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu as it supplies water for both drinking and irrigation purposes.
Ever since the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991, the KRS has been under the threat of banned militant groups. While the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) threatened to blow up the reservoir after the assassination, Pakistan-backed militant groups too have issued similar threats in recent years.
