Dhoks left by tribes in winter to be monitored
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Sept 10: Additional troops have been deployed in the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch, including on the Line of Control (LoC) as well as hinterland while police have strengthened its positions close to the LoC as a part of series of measures taken by Army and Police to thwart infiltration attempts from Pakistan and eliminate the militants who have managed to sneak-in to this side.
Police officials have been asked to connect villagers living close to the LoC with WhatsApp Groups for timely information about any kind of suspicious movement so that reinforcement could be dispatched at the earliest and the militants eliminated or apprehended, officials told the Excelsior.
They said there have been reports that Rajouri and Poonch districts could witness more intrusion bids on the LoC as Pakistan was desperate to revive militancy in Rajouri, Poonch and Reasi districts of the region and use this route for sending militants to South Kashmir.
As per the officials, Army has strengthened its positions on both LoC as well as hinterland by rushing in more troops to ensure that the militants don’t manage to infiltrate from Pakistan and, if they succeed in crossing over, they are either killed or arrested well before they could strike at their targets.
“All dhoks used by the tribes which they will start vacating by the end of this month or start of next month with onset of winter, will be kept under surveillance as there have been reports that such dhoks could be used by the militants for shelter,’’ the officials said, recalling that in Bhatta Durrian (Mendhar) terror attack on April 20 in which five Army bravehearts were killed, the militants involved had stayed in the dhoks.
They said drones are likely to be used for constant watch on the dhoks in mountainous areas of Rajouri and Poonch districts.
Police in Rajouri and Poonch districts have been asked to make WhatsApp Groups with people living close to LoC and other sensitive areas and ask them to share information in case they observe any suspicious movement. Police and security officers will also be included in the Groups.
“This will immediately alert police and security personnel and it will be easy to launch joint coordinated operations against the militants,’’ the officials said.
They added that role of the Village Defence Guards (VDGs) is also very crucial in monitoring movement of the militants especially during night hours. In Gundna Khwas encounter in Darhal and Dhakkikot and Chassana in Reasi district, the VDGs played very vital role in gathering information about the militants and in eliminating them.
There have been reports that nearly a dozen militants are active in the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch in addition to their four associates who were killed in Surankote and three others who were eliminated at Darhal, Dhakkikot and Chassana.
However, Pakistan continued to make attempts to push trained militants into the Indian territory. Majority of infiltration attempts have been foiled by the troops in which nearly 22 militants were killed this year.
It was on January 1 when the militants caused one of the major terror attacks after several years at Dhangri in Rajouri district killing seven civilians of minority community. On April 20, five Army bravehearts lost their lives in a terror attack at Bhatta Durrian in Mendhar tehsil of Poonch district while five para commandos were killed in another attack at Kandi forests in Rajouri district on May 5.
However, since then, Army and Police have taken full control of the situation and eliminated and apprehended many militants.
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