Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, July 27: Special Forces of the Army, known as para commandos, were airlifted from Samba to Dinanagar in Gurdaspur district of Punjab to finish off the operation and eliminate all three militants, who had taken positions inside the police station and were resorting to indiscriminate firing targeting the police personnel. Jammu and Kashmir Police also sent two bullet-proof bunkers, known as ‘Rakshak’ vehicles, to help Punjab Police in carrying out search operations.
Train traffic on Jalandhar-Jammu section and vehicular movement on Pathankot-Jammu National Highway, which was temporarily suspended from Punjab, was restored after some hours while BSF has sounded high alert along the International Border even as police conducted massive searches in the areas surrounding the borders to ensure that the militants didn’t sneak into this side.
Director General of Police (DGP) K Rajendra told the Excelsior that Jammu and Kashmir Police immediately rushed two bullet-proof ‘Rakshak’ vehicles (bunkers) to Dinanagar in Gurdaspur district of Punjab from Kathua on the requisition of their Punjab counterparts, which didn’t have such vehicles as the neighbouring State was not facing any major terror threat for past about two decades now.
“We were in constant touch with Punjab Police to assist them in whatever possible way we could. As soon as we received the request for bullet-proof bunkers, we dispatched them to Dinanagar from Kathua,’’ Rajendra said, adding the bunkers proved very useful for Punjab in entering inside the police station and carrying out operation against the militants.
Jammu and Kashmir Police has been very successfully using the bullet-proof bunkers in the operations against the terrorists.
Official sources said the Special Forces, known as para commandos of Army, were airlifted from Samba to Dinanagar, to finish off the operation and eliminate the militants, who had taken positions inside the police station after killing seven persons including SP (Detectives) Baljit Singh, three Home Guard jawans and three civilians and injuring 15 others, who included police personnel and civilians.
Sources said the Special Forces were airlifted on requisition as they were well trained in eliminating the militants by carrying out commando action.
“Three columns of Special Forces were airlifted from Samba. They reached Dinanagar around this noon, gained entry inside the police station and executed their task, very tactfully and successfully within an hour. The Special Forces returned to their bases after killing all three militants this evening without suffering any casualties,’’ sources said.
They added that the Special Forces of the Army had earlier also been used to eliminate the militants hiding inside sensitive installations as they were well trained in the commando actions.
“Apart from Special Forces, 9 Corps of the Army also dispatched its Bomb Disposal Squads from its headquarters of Yol Cantonment to defuse five powerful Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) planted by the militants along Pathankot-Amritsar track before striking at Dinanagar police station,’’ sources said, adding that the Squads defused the IEDs successfully, sanitized the track along with Railways police and restored train traffic.
The areas of Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts fall under 9 Corps of the Army, headquarters at Yol Cantonment in Himachal Pradesh.
IGP Railways MS Salaria told the Excelsior that the Railways Police immediately swung into action after getting the reports of the terror attack and planting of the IEDs along Pathankot-Amritsar track, bordering Jammu-Pathankot section. He said entire men and machinery at the disposal of three GRPs at Jammu, Katra and Srinagar were pressed into service to look for any suspicious devices.
Sources said train traffic on Jalandhar-Jammu section, which was temporarily suspended in the morning after terror attacks and reports of IEDs having been fitted at Pathankot, was restored within an hour after it was discovered that the IEDs had been planted on Pathankot-Amritsar section and not Pathankot-Jalandhar route, which is taken by all trains reaching Jammu from New Delhi and other destinations. Even Amritsar-Jammu train is taking Jalandhar route for past few days due to some technical problems.
Vehicular movement on Pathankot-Jammu National Highway was also suspended in the morning from Punjab side after the terror attack. However, traffic on Jammu-Kathua road continued uninterruptedly. Traffic on Pathankot-Jammu highway was also restored after about two hours of blockade as scene of gun fighting shifted to Dinanagar, about 14 kilometers from Pathankot.
According to sources, the BSF was maintaining high alert all along the International Border from Lakhanpur to Akhnoor. Police personnel of all three border districts including Jammu, Samba and Kathua conducted massive search operation in the border areas and the National Highway of Jammu-Pathankot to ensure that the militants didn’t manage to sneak into this side.
However, sources said, there were no tell tale signs along the International Border in Jammu sector to show that the militants had infiltrated from this side of the border.
“Nevertheless, we are not taking any chances. Entire police of three districts in the border areas was out on patrolling. Local people have also been involved and they were cooperating in keeping vigil on the strangers,’’ they added.
A Punjab Roadways bus bearing registration No. 9569 PB06G, which was targeted by the militants at Dinanagar before striking at the police station, had also left from Bamyal (Kathua) for Amritsar early this morning. The bus plies daily between Bamyal-Amritsar. Though seven persons were injured in the bus, there was no report of any of them hailing from Kathua.
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