Flying objects launched from Pak or hinterland: probe on
Rajnath speaks to officers, top brass reaches Jammu to assess situation
NIA set to takeover case, drones not observed in radar, CCTV
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, June 27: In a sensation terror attack, the first of its kind in the country, two bombs were dropped inside the Indian Air Force (IAF) Station adjacent to Jammu Airport in Satwari area in wee hours of this morning reportedly by two drones causing minor damage to a hall and lawn and injuries to two IAF personnel but all strategic assets of the Force, which were reportedly targeted, were safe. One of the bombs is reported to have fallen close to the helicopter hangar.
Click here to watch video
While Jammu and Kashmir Police (JKP) has launched First Information Report in the terror attack under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) after Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbag Singh described the blasts as terror attack, the National Investigating Agency (NIA), whose teams have already visited the spot, is likely to takeover the case after a formal order is issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
The explosions took place around 1.40 am within six minutes of each other.
All investigating agencies were still undecided till tonight as to whether drones had been launched from across the border or from any surrounding area of the Technical Airport as distance of the blast site from the International Border is about 14 kilometers. Some of the investigators, however, believed that the drones might have been launched from across the border with payload and returned after dropping the bombs, which missed what could have been the intended targets i.e. the aircrafts and helicopters parked inside.
“The strategic assets are parked in ready mode to meet with any emergency,” sources said but added that they were completely safe.
Two tweets by the IAF after the blasts said: “Two low intensity explosions were reported early Sunday morning in the technical area of Jammu Air Force Station. One caused minor damage to the roof of a building while the other exploded in an open area. There was no damage to any equipment. Investigation is in progress along with civil agencies”.
Two IAF personnel, who received minor injuries in the blast, were stable. They have been identified as Arvind Singh and SK Singh.
One of the explosive devices fell on an Administrative building close to the helicopter hangar, causing a hole in the roof while another landed in the lawn. The damage was very minor, as per the sources.
Confirming that this is the first incident of a drone-based terror attack in the country, sources said though it was minor with minimal damage and only two minor injuries, it shows the capabilities of launching attacks at security establishments located close to the Jammu City.
Drones were frequently being used by Pakistan Army to smuggle arms, ammunition and explosives from the LoC but this is for the first time that they were used for terror attack targeting sensitive security installation deep inside the populated area.
Top officials immediately didn’t say whether the drones had been launched from across the border or within the area on outskirts of Jammu City. The Technical Airport as well as Jammu Airport or located on Jammu-RS Pura road and are about 14 kilometers from the International Border. Experts said only very large drones can trek such a long distance to drop bombs and return. Moreover, multiple security agencies are deployed enroute from the IB to Airport and some of them could have spotted them though timing of the blasts was dead of the night.
Therefore, the investigators are not ruling out the possibility of the drones being launched from areas on outskirts of the City.
“Everything is part of the investigation and agencies might take some time to reach to a conclusion,” sources said.
It was also not clear whether the drones had dropped the explosives or whether they were carrying them and landed at the spot with pre-designated GPS setting and exploded with impact.
Investigators scanned CCTV footage, including from cameras installed on the boundary walls of the airport, in an effort to determine from where the drones came. However, all the CCTV cameras focused on the roadside, sources said.
Drones cannot be detected by radars deployed at border areas to monitor enemy activity, they said, suggesting that a different radar system that can detect drones as small as a bird should be installed.
“Whether the drones were launched from across the border or from the hinterland in Jammu, it was a clear security breach since they managed to fly into the high security areas undetected and managed to reach their pre-fixed destination though they failed to hit the intended target,” sources said.
“If it was an attack launched from Pakistan, the drones could manage to fly 14 kilometers without being detected and if they were launched from the hinterland, this means the presence of militants in Jammu with capability to launch drone attacks on high value targets,” sources said, adding that things would be clear only when the investigations pickup. There are many populated localities around the Technical Airport and investigators are not ruling out presence of militants there.
Investigating agencies this evening also conducted raids at Belicharana and Niki Tawi areas and detained two suspects in connection with the drone attacks on the IAF station. However, sources said, they have just been detained for questioning. However, they were let off later.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s office said he spoke to Vice Air Chief, Air Marshal H S Arora, over the airport incident.
“Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh spoke to Vice Air Chief, Air Marshal HS Arora regarding today’s incident at Air Force Station in Jammu. Air Marshal Vikram Singh is reaching Jammu to take stock of the situation,” it tweeted.
Sources said Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria has been apprised about the explosions.
The IAF chief is on a three-day visit to Bangladesh from Saturday
Western Air Command chief Air Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudari and Senior Air Staff Officer Air Marshal Vikram Singh reached the IAF Station Jammu to assess the situation in the wake of drone attacks.
“The attack at the IAF station in Jammu is a terror attack,” Director General of Police Dilbag Singh said.
He added that police and other agencies were working with IAF officials to unravel the plan behind the attack. A team from anti-terror probe agency NIA was also at the spot.
Sources said a major catastrophe has been averted as the drones failed to hit the intended targets.
“Had the bombs dropped by the drones landed on the helicopter hangar, it would have caused damage. But both the bombs fell some distance away from the hangar,” sources said.
While no fighters are based at the Jammu technical airport, it has transport aircraft and MI-17 helicopters.
Sources said the hangars are developed in such a manner that they remain far away from the perimeter wall so that the assets are not damaged in case of grenade attack or stone throwing. Further, there are multiple layers of security one would have to break if an attack is launched on the ground to reach the hangars.
Jammu Airport officials said that there was no disruption in flight operations due to the explosions. “Flights to and from Jammu airport are operating as per schedule,” they said.
Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Police has registered an FIR under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, officials said, indicating that the case is likely to be taken over by the NIA.
The FIR has been registered at Satwari Police Station.
“The NIA is already supervising the investigation at the scene of the blast after joining the probe,” one of the officials said, adding the NIA will formally takeover the case only after the Union Ministry of Home Affairs issues an order to this effect.
The FIR was registered under UAPA Sections 13/16/18/23 of the (unlawful activities/terrorist act/conspiracy/enhanced penalties), and IPC section 120-B (criminal conspiracy).
Sections 3 and 4 of the Explosive Substances Act (causing explosion likely to endanger life or property/attempt to cause explosion, or for making or keeping explosive with intent to endanger life or property) have also been included.
Meanwhile, a battery of media persons camped outside the main gate of the IAF station hit by the twin blasts. However, no ordinary movement was noticed at the gate except visits by senior officers of the Army, police, CRPF and other agencies.
Labourers engaged for routine work inside the station reported on schedule and were allowed in after usual checking of their identity cards and frisking.
Army quick reaction teams (QRTs) were seen making rounds to maintain watch outside the IAF station, while security forces also carried out area domination in the adjoining residential localities, the officials said.
Security has been beefed up across Jammu region including on highways where special checkpoints were set up to carry out checking of vehicles especially at the entry and exit points of the city.
LG speaks to DM, reviews situation with top cops
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha today spoke to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and later reviewed situation with top police officers arising out of drone attacks on the Indian Air Force (IAF) Station at Satwari early today.
Sinha directed for security audit of two civil airports of Jammu and Srinagar following the drone strikes.
Jammu Airport is located adjacent to technical airport of the IAF which came under the drone attacks today.
Sinha also briefed Rajnath Singh, who is on a three-day visit to the Union Territory of Ladakh, about the incident and steps being taken by the security forces to prevent such attacks in future.
Sinha also reviewed the situation with Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbag Singh, Additional DGP Jammu Mukesh Singh and IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar and directed them to take steps in the wake of new emerging challenges.
New challenge for security forces
Terror attack using drones at prominent security establishment close to the Jammu City has emerged as new challenge for security forces as such strikes don’t need Pakistan and the militant outfits to train fidayeens and could be launched from any isolated area fixing the target with GPS-based system.
On whether drones flew 14 kilometers from International Border to IAF Station, sources said, this has happened in Rajouri where the drones had airdropped weapons at a village, which was 10 kilometers from the Line of Control (LoC). Drones twice dropped weapons in Rajouri at distance of 10 kilometers, sources pointed out.
And, this is not the first time that Pakistan has used drones to airdrop weapons though this was the first terror attack with drones. There have been number of incidents in which Army and BSF have shot down drones transporting weapons from Pakistan on LoC and IB in Jammu and Kashmir as well as Punjab for the militants.
Five such airdropping were spotted in 2020 including one in June, three in November and one in December. One such incident was noticed in 2019 while this year also, number of times drones have been observed flying along the borders and were shot down or they reverted back to Pakistan.
Experts were of the view that security forces will have to revamp their strategy in the wake of today’s attack as drones can be used again to hit high valued targets.
Blasts were deafening, say residents
People living around the Indian Air Force station here woke up to the deafening sounds of explosions as drones, operated by Pakistan-based militants, dropped two bombs at the vital military installation.
“We woke up to deafening sounds. It rocked the entire area, and people were shocked,” Inderjeet Singh, who stays in a locality along the Air Force Station, said.
Hearing the explosions, several people from areas such as Belicharana, Karan-Bagh, Gaddigar, Boharcamp and Satwari reached the air force station, despite Covid restrictions, with no idea that it had been hit by drones.
“There was an atmosphere of fear in the area by morning after channels broke the news of the attack. It is unimaginable for us that such an important defence installation could be hit,” Singh said.
Som Nath of Satwari said this is a matter of concern as such an attack was never heard of before.
By morning, heavy security had been deployed around the air base as bomb disposal squads along with senior officials examined the site, officials said.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
