Jammu, June 12 :
Security forces gunned down two terrorists as a CRPF jawan lost his life during a gunfight in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, even as in a separate attack in Doda five Indian Army personnel and a Special Police Officer was injured.
The Kathua attackers were linked to Pakistan as eatables including Pakistan-made chocolates, Pakistan-made medicines, pain killer injections were recovered from the bodies.
“One more terrorist has been neutralised in an encounter taking the toll to two in village Saidal Sohal in Hiranagar belt,” said an official, adding that searches were underway around the site, where a civilian was also injured in the attack.
Senior police officers including DIG Jammu and SSP Kathua narrowly escaped with their lives during the gunfight when hiding terrorists fired on their official vehicle.
The martyred CRPF personnel was identified as Constable GD Kabir Dass. “One civilian namely Onkar, 45, of village Sohal, Hiranagar also suffered injury in his left arm when terrorists fired at him. He was admitted in Government Medical College, Kathua,” said a police official.
“Two terrorists are neutralised while searches are being carried out in the area,” ADGP Jammu Zone, Anand Jai said.
Meanwhile a huge quantity of arms and ammunition was recovered from the encounter site comprising three magazines containing 30 rounds, one magazine containing 24 rounds, 75 rounds in a separate polythene bag, three live grenades, currency notes (INR) of Rs 500 denomination worth 2 lakh, eatables including Pakistan-made chocolates, dry chana and chapatis, Pakistan-made medicines, pain killer injections, two packs of A4 battery cells, one handset having antenna and two wires hanging from the handset.
Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh also visited the Government Medical College and Hospital, Kathua to enquire about the well-being of Om Prakash.
“As Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that there is ‘zero tolerance’ towards terrorism, further action will be taken following the same principle,” Dr Singh told reporters.
In Chattargala area of
Two terrorists killed
Doda, five soldiers and a SPO of Jammu and Kashmir police suffered injuries when a gunfight broke out between terrorists and security forces late Tuesday.
“At around 1.45 am army and police were engaged with terrorists in Chattargala area of Bhaderwah in Doda district,” they said.
They said that five army soldiers and one SPO sustained bullet injuries in the gunfight and they immediately evacuated and shifted to the Sub-District Hospital Bhaderwah for treatment.
“There was no fresh exchange of firing reported so far but searches are underway,” they said.
In back to back attacks since Sunday, now there were reports from Nowshera town in the border district Rajouri that said that army and police also launched a search operation in the villages close to the Line of Control following inputs of suspicious movement.
On June 9, terrorists attacked a bus ferrying pilgrims in Reasi district following which the vehicle plunged into a gorge leaving 10 dead and 33 injured.
One group comprising three to four terrorists are present in the higher reaches of Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district, a senior police officer said on Wednesday, asserting that a search operation is on to neutralize them despite the challenging terrain.
Five troopers of the Rashtriya Rifles and a special police officer (SPO) were injured Tuesday night when the terrorists attacked a joint check post in the upper reaches of Chattergalla on the Bhaderwah-Pathankot road in the hilly district.
“Over the past few days, we were getting information about movement of terrorists through the intelligence branch of district police and accordingly, temporary posts jointly manned by army and police were set up in the higher reaches along with check points on the (inter-state) road,” Deputy Inspector General of Police, Doda-Kishtwar-Ramban range, Shridhar Patil, told reporters here.
Patil, who is supervising the anti-terrorist operation, said the sentry of a post at Chattergalla pass, connecting Doda and Kathua districts, observed suspicious movement late Tuesday night and challenged the suspected persons.
“The terrorists opened fire and in the ensuing exchange of firing which continued for a long time, more than one-and-a-half hours, the deployed personnel fought bravely. Some of our personnel, including a policeman were injured but all of them are stable and out of danger,” the officer said.
He said the whole area is being combed with utilization of modern equipment and “we are hopeful of neutralizing this group (of terrorists) very soon”.
The DIG said the group of terrorists only consisted of three to four members.
Talking about the challenges during the operation, he said the mountains are very deep with thick forest cover.
“We have to move tactically as there is a difference in conducting operations in the plains and mountainous areas. The combing in tough terrains takes time and we have to tread cautiously to avoid any casualty on our side before neutralizing the terrorists,” he added.
According to the officials, the traffic movement has been completely suspended on the busy Bhadarwah-Pathankot interstate highway in view of the ongoing search and cordon operation in Chattergalla, Guldandi, Sarthal, Shankh Pader and Kailash mountain range.
