The city has been put on high alert after central intelligence agencies on Tuesday warned the cops about a possible terror attack, especially in the port area.
“We have received a fax on Tuesday afternoon from central intelligence agencies warning of the possibility of a terror attack in Kolkata, especially in the port area,” senior Indian Coast Guard official BN Mahato told AFP.
“We have deployed hovercraft to intensify (a) night-long vigil in the Bay of Bengal,” he said.
Kolkata police commissioner Surojit Karpurakayastha said security had been stepped up in the port area and parts of the city.
Police were “acting on the basis of the central intelligence agencies’ alert,” he said.
No further details about the alert were immediately available, but it comes days after a suicide bomb attack near the Pakistani side of the Wagah border killed 55 people and wounded more than 120.
India had placed several states on alert in September, when al-Qaida announced it was launching a new branch to “wage jihad” in South Asia.
Meanwhile, Navy on Tuesday withdrew two warships from Kolkata’s port, a spokesman said.