'Militants form 4 suicide squads for Independence Day attacks in Kashmir'

K. Rajindera Kumar, police chief of the Muslim-dominated Kashmir valley, named the groups as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, the two outfits India accuses of being behind an attack on its parliament in New Delhi in December 2001 which left 15 people dead, including five attackers.

He told reporters here late Thursday that according to intelligence inputs, each squad consists of three members.

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"Militants have made plans to carry out fidayeen (suicide) strikes on Independence Day," he said, adding that the squads were "probably hiding somewhere on the outskirts of Srinagar."

Kumar's comments came hours after Islamic militants Thursday grenade bombed a security vehicle in Srinagar -- the first such attack in more than three months -- killing two Indian border guards and injuring six others seriously.

He said his men were "capable of meeting any eventuality."

"Security has been beefed up around Bakshi Stadium and troops put on high alert to prevent sabotage," he said, referring to Srinagar's main venue for the celebrations.

The stadium has been targetted by the rebels several times since the eruption of an anti-Indian rebellion in the scenic Himalayan region in 1989 that has left more than 38,000 people dead. Separatists put the toll twice as high.

Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed and governor S.K. Sinha will both attend the function at Bakshi stadium, which has been sealed for the past few days.

India's Independence Day has always been a high security event in Kashmir, as both militants and separatists observe it as a "black day".

Anti-Indian forces want to secede Kashmir from India and join it with neighbouring Pakistan or make it an independent country.