* 3 IEDs, 8 live grenades recovered
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Sept 27: The Unified Headquarters today held a high level review of security scenario in Jammu region in the wake of two sensational fidayeen attacks in Hiranagar and Samba yesterday in which 13 persons including three militants were killed even as police and security forces today recovered three Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and eight grenades in Kathua and Poonch towns respectively.
Authorities today constituted a Special Investigating Team (SIT) to hold probe into security lapses at Hiranagar police station and other related aspects including movement of militants on border roads in Hiranagar and Jammu-Pathankot National Highway for several kilometers unchecked at any place before the attack yesterday. They also placed SHO Hiranagar Inspector Raj Kumar Padha and three others under suspension for alleged de-reliction of duty and posted Inspector Daljit Singh as new SHO. Additional nafri has been dispatched to Hiranagar police station.
The Unified Headquarters met here for one and a half hours from 10 am under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and was attended by top brass of Army, all para-military forces, civil and police administration to devise a strategy to prevent fidayeens attack in future.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the Unified Headquarters called for strong surveillance and co-ordination among various agencies, both of which were found lacking yesterday, to thwart the fidayeen attacks. It was observed that better co-ordination could have prevented yesterday’s second fidayeen attack at Mehsar Army camp in Samba.
Omar reportedly pulled up security agencies and police for the lapses in yesterday’s fidayeen attack including free run enjoyed by the militants from the International Border to Hiranagar and then up to Samba Army camp on Jammu-Pathankote National Highway.
Excelsior had today exclusively reported the lapses.
The Chief Minister also took strong exception to non-adhering of Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) by multiple security agencies. He said the better co-ordination between the security agencies could have led to early spotting of the militants’ movement as well as their killings.
He stressed that in future all security agencies should have better co-ordination and communication in dealing with such kind of attacks.
“The timing between first fidayeen attack at Hiranagar police station and second attack at 16 Cavalry Unit’s Mehsar camp at Samba was nearly one hour. The agencies should have sounded an alert to all major installations in Kathua, Samba and Jammu districts especially after daring escape of the militants from Hiranagar police station. But this didn’t happen leading to second attack at Mehsar Army camp,” sources observed.
The Unified Headquarters stressed for better co-ordination and communication among all agencies engaged in anti-infiltration and anti-militancy measures to prevent such major security lapse.
Sources said the meeting also viewed with concern the infiltration by three militants from the International Border in Hiranagar sector along with arms and ammunition notwithstanding the fact that a high alert had been sounded on the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border (IB) in anticipating of intrusions bids by Pakistan backed militants.
The militants were reported to have entered from Paharpur in Hiranagar sector and boarded a load carried from first populated village Hariya Chak to set off for the fidayeen attacks. The militants had reportedly been launched from Phiyal Dogra post of the Rangers opposite Paharpur in Hiranagar sector.
Police have, meanwhile, initiated an internal probe to look into the lapses on its part including failure of any police personnel to retaliate the firing by the fidayeens giving the latter a free for all situation. The militants could have killed everyone in the police station and outside but they seemed to be in a hurry to reach Samba to target Army camp, sources said.
The locals insisted that not a single shot was fired from Hiranagar police station though police claimed that the Sentry on duty, who was killed in the attack, had emptied his magazine before laying down his life.
Police have constituted a SIT headed by DySP Border ML Kaith to probe the security lapses and movement of the militants on Hiranagar border roads and National Highway without any check. The SIT members comprised SHO Hiranagar Inspector Daljit Singh, Incharge Mareen Police Post Surinder Raina, Incharge Chadwal Police Post Braham Dev Slathia and Incharge Dinga Amb Police Post Zafarullah.
Three policemen Sham Lal, head constable and Darshan Kumar, constable have been suspended and SPO Kuldeep Kumar disengaged. They have been charged with dereliction of duty at Londi Naka crossed by the fidayeens.
DySP DAR Rohit Basotra will hold the inquiry into the role of former SHO Hiranagar.
SSP Kathua Mohan Lal and SDPO Kathua ML Kaith were camping at Hiranagar police station to take corrective measures not only at Hiranagar but all other police stations.
IGP Jammu Zone Rajesh Kumar has already issued an advisory to all range DIGs and district SPs to ensure adequate security arrangements at police stations and other sensitive installations and give effective retaliation to any such attack. Police have already started increasing fencing and raising boundaries at its installations.
The IGP Jammu also reached Kathua this evening for a detailed review of the situation.
Preliminary investigations by police revealed that the fidayeens were also in possession of a Global Positioning System (GPS), which they were seen using while sitting in load carrier and truck to ensure that the drivers did not mislead them.
Sources said senior police officers today visited Paharpur and prepared detailed map on route of infiltration of the militants and other areas traveled by them on load carrier and truck yesterday. They added that the militants had taken the route, where the fencing had been washed away due to floods. The fencing on the IB in Hiranagar sector was found intact excepting the portion where it had been washed away due to recent floods.
Omar stressed for surveillance and enhanced co-ordination among various security agencies to prevent the terror attacks. He said the Security Grid should be strengthened at all the places.
After the Unified Headquarters meeting, the State Government has sent a comprehensive report to Union Home Ministry on yesterday’s twin terror attack. The Home Ministry has sent the report to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in New York, where he would take up the issue with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif during their talks on the sidelines of United Nations General Assembly on September 29.
The Union Home Ministry has already confirmed that all three fidayeens were Pakistanis and had sneaked into this side for carrying out the terror attacks ahead of the meeting of the two Prime Ministers.
All three fidayeens, who were killed after an 11 hours long operation yesterday, were today buried at village Manohar Gopala by the people in Samba with all rituals performed by moulvi Feroz Din. Army had last night handed over the bodies to police, which got post-mortem conducted this morning before the burial. Their identity couldn’t be ascertained but all of them were believed to be Pakistanis aged between 20 to 25 years.
Police have also taken the DNA samples of the militants before their burial. Reports said that the militants were wearing Adidas shoes, whose samples have also been sent for forensic examination. The militants were also carrying one Pakistan made knife and some Pakistani tablets, which confirmed their Pakistani identity. As already reported, a large quantity of arms, ammunition and explosives were recovered from the slain militants yesterday.
The Unified Headquarters meeting was among others attended by Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand, Northern Command chief Lt Gen Sanjiv Chachra, Home Secretary Suresh Kumar, DGP Ashok Prasad, GOC 16 Corps Lt Gen DS Hooda, GOC 9 Corps based at Yol Cantt Lt Gen P Bakshi, GOC 29 Division based at Mamoon Cantt Maj Gen Balbir Singh, GOC 26 Infantry Division Maj Gen Ashwani Kumar, MGGS Northern Command, Special Director CRPF, IG BSF SS Tomar, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu Shantmanu, IG CRPF, Kuldeep Dhar, IG CID Dr B Srinivas, IGP Jammu Rajesh Kumar, Commissioner SBJ and Deputy Director SIBJ.
The Unified Headquarters briefed the Chief Minister about operational preparedness of Security Grid and multiple security agencies, lessons learnt from yesterday’s major security lapses and steps taken to prevent such attacks.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah led senior officers of Army, police and civil administration in paying tributes to the Army personnel killed in the militant attack in Samba.
Omar laid a floral wreath on the coffin carrying body of soldier Inder Singh at a ceremony held at Technical Airport here this morning.
Senior officers of Army, police and civil administration also laid wreaths on the soldier, who was killed in an attack on Army camp at Samba yesterday.
The officers included GOC 9 Corps Lt Gen P Bakshi, DGP Ashok Prasad, Divisional Commissioner Jammu Shantmanu and IGP Jammu Rajesh Kumar among others.
Body of Inder Singh was then flown to Jaipur, Rajasthan from where the local Army formation took it to his native village Jhunjhunu for last rites.
Four Army jawans including Lt Col Bikramjit Singh, four police personnel, two civilians and three fidayeens were killed in twin terror strikes yesterday.
Meanwhile, Kathua police on an information given by a civilian Dev Raj today recovered three Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and ammunition from a field at Chambe Da Bagh along Jarai Road in Ward No. 12 of Kathua town.
Two IEDs had been concealed in tiffin boxes and third in a coconut shell, sources said, adding the devices were filled with RDX. Police also recovered eight pencil timers and 10 AK rounds from the spot, which had to be filled in the IEDs and connected with timers.
However, the IEDs were not new, police said, adding they have been defused safely.
The civilian Dev Raj detected the IEDs in his field and sounded police.
In another success, police and security forces recovered six HE 36 grenades and two grenades of Under Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL) from under Kalai bridge, about 10 kilometers from Poonch town this morning.
Some children detected the consignment of explosive devices when they were taking a bath under the bridge. They informed police and security forces, which seized the explosive material and defused them safely.
Police said another terror attack has been averted with timely recovery of eight grenades. They added that the militants might have dumped the grenades under the bridge to transport them to Jammu at an opportune time but they were detected well before they could be used for the purpose of militancy.
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