From Ahmed Ali Fayyaz SRINAGAR, Nov 20: Forty-eight-hour-long gunbattle between militants and security forces, which had begun with a fidayeen attack on a CRPF formation at Indira Nagar on Tuesday evening, has finally reached its end when a surviving militant died after killing a Major and causing injuries to some more Army personnel today. While as Army was confident that two militants died in the encounter, dead bodies of one militant and a junior official of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) were recovered from the devastated site. Meanwhile, IGPs of CRPF and SSB have ordered separate inquiries into the security lapses that turned the immediate vicinity of Army’s 15 Corps in a battlefield for two days. When troops began search of the devastated telephone exchange building in the morning today, a surviving militant opened fire, causing injuries to Major P B Singh and another soldier. Security forces quickly rescued both of them but the Army officer succumbed to injuries while being rushed to 92 Base Hospital. While throwing a number of grenades into every room and passage of the building, troops finally eliminated the militant at 1430 hours today. Official sources said that the gunbattle has ended with the death of one Major of 32 Bn of Rashtriya Rifles, one constable of CRPF 62 Bn, one phone mechanic of BSNL and two militants. Besides, eight personnel of security forces—6 from Army and 2 from CRPF—sustained injuries in the gunbattle which lasted for two days. Unconfirmed reports said that one of the injured CRPF personnel has also succumbed at hospital. IGP Kashmir, K Rajendra Kumar, clarified that dead body of only one militant had been recovered till this evening. He was hopeful that another militant’s body might be buried under the debris, which would be removed on Friday but added that it was just the guess of the forces who participated in the operation. A Brigadier of Army, who spoke to some mediapersons at the end of the operation, expressed similar opinion but he sounded pretty confident that both the fidayeen had been eliminated. Sources, who participated in the operation, told EXCELSIOR that only one militant was believed to have died in the gunbattle on Wednesday. His associate, hiding somewhere in the destroyed telephone exchange building, took the troops by surprise when he struck on the Major and left him dead. Finally, that militant’s body, as also that of the BSNL official, were recovered in the afternoon. The BSNL phone mechanic, who seemed to have been killed in cold blood by the militants, was identified as Kuldeep Chand of Patan, Akhnoor. The 50-year-old poor employee was identified by his nephew, who also happens to be working with BSNL. The dead body would be taken to Akhnoor for cremation tomorrow. In the wake of the serious allegations of security lapses, IGP of SSB, who reached here today, ordered a departmental inquiry. Informed sources said that the IGP of CRPF has ordered a separate inquiry into how the militants managed to reach the high security zone and sneak into the SSB-guarded telephone exchange building near the headquarters of CRPF 62 Bn. With today’s search of the building, it became clear that militants had captured and used the dump of the arms and ammunition of SSB which was on the second floor of the building. How the militants walked into the exchange building, manned by seven armed guards of the SSB, is still a mystery. While the authorities are still gathering details, neighbours believe that the two fidayeen had rushed into an unoccupied building after the initial strike. When the SSB guards deserted the building alongwith their arms and ammunition and took shelter in a nearby house, militants found it easier to occupy the exchange building. Even as some BSNL employees managed to escape and they were quickly escorted to a safer place by CRPF, Kuldeep Chand got trapped. He became a lame duck for the militants. Some people, however, insist that the militants rushed into the building without facing any resistance from the SSB guards, who ran for life. Two JTOs, namely Susheel Kumar and A K Raina, had a providential escape as they had left the exchange building just five minutes before the militants struck. Kuldeep Chand, who was cooking the meals, had sent them to the nearby market as their kerosene oil had exhausted. While they were buying the fuel, they heard intensive firing and stayed back. Sub Divisional Engineer, S K Kaul, was successfully rescued by forces but was used as a guide to learn about the interior of the building. He was let off only today. According to sources, Kaul had locked the exchange chambers situated on the first floor. When the militants found the chambers locked, they rushed straight into the Inspection Quarters and killed the BSNL official. Some Police officials believe that the real target of the militants was the telephone exchange, which provided communication service to whole of Badami Bagh cantonment. Paradoxically, the same was destroyed by Army itself. General Manager of BSNL, George Santosh Marshal, clarified to EXCELSIOR that it would take his organisation 4 to 5 months to relocate the 4,000-line telephone exchange, arrange and install new machinery, lay the optical fibre cables and restore the telephones of subscribers. He said that a similar damage had been made good partially in Chennai in four-and-a-half months. He lamented that security forces did not allow him to visit the damaged exchange even after the 48-hour-long encounter ended. According to him, BSNL would suffer loss of revenue in "Crores of Rupees" in addition to the total damage caused to Rs 3 Cr machinery at the Sonwar exchange. Meanwhile six young school children have sustained splinter injuries in an explosive blast at Batpora in Rafiabad area of Baramulla district today. They had reportedly spotted a grenade and thrown a stone on it while playing. It exploded, causing injuries to the students. The injured have been admitted at a hospital. |
