The Kashmir valley remained on the boil on Monday as security forces averted a major terror strike on the headquarters of 45th battalion of CRPF at Sumbal in north Kashmir’s Bandipore district, 25 kilometers from here, around 3.45 am, gunning down four Pakistan-sponsored terrorists.
Sources said the suicide squad was first noticed by CRPF dogs which alerted the sentries. An illuminating bomb exposed the terrorists’ positions following which they were gunned down.
With infiltration bids going up and ceasefire violation also on the rise, India warned Pakistan that “abetment” of these acts will invite “appropriate retaliatory actions.” Indian Director General of Military Operation conveyed this warning to his Pakistan counterpart.
The hour-long operation against the terrorists ended without any casualty on the security forces’ side.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh lauded the CRPF for showing “exemplary courage and valour” in thwarting the terrorists’ attempt.
“The CRPF jawans and Jammu & Kashmir Police showed exemplary courage and valour by thwarting the terrorists’ attempt to enter the camp and successfully eliminating all the terrorists,” Rajnath Singh said in a statement.
The congregational prayers were going on in the mosques when the exchange of fire began. The terrorists
lobbed grenades and fired indiscriminately in a bid to storm the camp.
“The terrorists attempted to enter the camp by cutting the wire fencing. The alert CRPF sentries spotted them and foiled their plans by opening fire. In an hour-long gunfight, four foreign terrorists were killed,” Inspector General (IG) Operations of the CRPF in Kashmir Zulfiqar Hassan said.
He said the terrorists had planned a long-drawn siege in the camp where around 150 personnel are stationed.
“Four AK-47 rifles, one Under-barrel Grenade launcher, seven UBGl grenades, nine hand grenades, 12 magazines of AK 47 and 147 rounds were recovered from the encounter site,” Hassan said.
Sources said the terrorists carried petrol-filled bottles indicating that they planned to set the camp on fire to cause mayhem and inflict maximum casualties on the security forces’ side.
Presence of a large number of foreign terrorists has been reported in the Bandipora district in contrast with south Kashmir where predominantly local terrorists belonging to Hizbul Mujahideen group are operative.
Sources said the terrorists were not allowed ingress into the camp as the sentries spotted them on the camp periphery.
later in the morning, local people came out on streets to demand the bodies of slain terrorists for burial. However, the authorities refused to hand-over the bodies as there was no local militant in the group. The bodies of foreign terrorists are generally taken to north Kashmir’s Uri area and silently buried in a graveyard.
The practice has been adopted to prevent heroic farewell to slain foreign terrorists which the locals have been offering. The protesters clashed with police as a complete shutdown was observed in the area. The authorities blocked cellular services in the area to prevent spread of rumours and mobilisation of people.
Incidentally, the same CRPF battalion was led by Commandant Chetan Kumar Cheeta who survived nine bullet injuries while fighting militants in Hajin area of the district in February this year. Three soldiers and a top-ranking militant died in the encounter. Chetan Cheeta has been lauded for his valour to defeat death despite receiving bullets in head and other vital organs.
Meanwhile, during the telephone talks between the DGMOs of the two countries, India also rejected claims by Pakistan that its civilians were targeted during firing by the Indian army. .
Giving a stern message, Indian DGMO lt General A K Bhatt told his Pakistan counterpart Major General Sahir Shamshad Mirza during talks on the hotline, that any attempt by the Pakistan Army to resort to unprovoked firing on the loC in Jammu and Kashmir and abet infiltrators would be met with “appropriate retaliatory actions.”
The telephonic conversation was sought by the Pakistani side reportedly to point out that its civilians were getting killed by firing by the Indian Army on the villages located across the lOC, officials said here. Categorically denying the claim, “DGMO Indian Army conveyed that the Indian Army is a professional Army and will not harm civilians in any manner,” the Army statement said. The two DGMOs discussed the situation along the lOC which has witnessed increasing incidents of ceasefire violations by Pakistan in the last couple of months.
“The Indian DGMO conveyed his commitment of ensuring peace and tranquillity which is contingent on Pakistan Army’s intentions and actions,” it said. Bhatt highlighted cases of escalations of tension by the Pakistan Army during the conversation adding it took place at 10.30 am, officials said.
The two sides generally hold talks on the hotline once a week on Tuesday but the talks were held on Monday after Pakistani request. Incidentally, the two DGMOs had talked to each other on the hotline in early May following the mutilation of two Indian soldiers by Border Action Team (BAT) of Pakistan Army.