A pre-planned terror attack on a police bus in a high security zone of Zewan near Pantha chowk in Srinagar on late Monday evening has raised many question marks whether the Standard Operating procedures (SOP's) as regards 'safe' movement of security personnel were followed or not.
Three cops including an Assistant Sub Inspector of J&K Police were martyred in the 'audacious' terror strike while 11 others were undergoing treatment in different hospitals.
Director General of Police Dilbagh Singh along with IGP, Kashmir Vijay Kumar Tuesday visited the ground zero of the attack site where a police bus was ambushed.
DGP also visited the Army's 92 Base hospital to enquire about the health of police personnel injured in the attack. On the other hand, a former Director General of Police Dr SP Vaid in an interview to a media house asked several pertinent questions while expressing concern over the targeted killings of security personnel in Kashmir valley.
Responding to some of the straight questions Dr SP Vaid claimed the attack on a police bus in a highly secured zone could have been prevented. He said, "due to the presence of vital security installations in the area large number of security personnel remain deployed there. The attack could have been prevented if a road opening party was present on the ground along with area domination patrol ahead of the movement of security convoy in the evening".
Meanwhile, Inspector General of Police Kashmir range, Vijay Kumar told reporters in Srinagar, "It was a planned attack. The terrorists must have done a recce of the area and seen that the bus is coming back every day in routine after getting off duty.
Speaking to reporters at the wreath-laying ceremony for one of the slain cops at District Police Lines Srinagar, Vijay Kumar said, "the attack was carried by a Jaish-e-Mohammad offshoot. “Two foreigners and a local terrorist carried out Zewan attack. One terrorist got injured and his blood trail suggests that the group fled to Pampore and then to the Tral area and we are tracking them and very soon they will be neutralized'.
During his interaction with the officers and jawans at the armed police complex in Zewan the DGP paid rich tributes to the police personnel who attained martyrdom in Monday's terror attack. Two minutes' silence was observed in memory of the fallen heroes.
The DGP appreciated the jawans for retaliating the terrorist attack, saying that immediate response avoided what would have been possibly a huge loss. He also complimented the driver for his sensible and quick action during the incident.
He said in the retaliation, one terrorist was reportedly injured and vowed that the perpetrators would be brought to justice very soon.
He directed the force personnel to use protective gear while on duty for personal safety and take all protection on duty as well as during to and fro travel from the camps to deployment places.
The last rites of all three police personnel were performed in their native villages with full honors. Large number of local residents, senior police and administrative officers attended their final journeys after paying rich tributes to them at the respective police lines.