Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 28: Army has ordered a Court of Inquiry (CoI) into Thursday’s terror attack at 16 Cavalry Unit camp at Mehsar, near Samba in which four Army personnel including second-in-command of the Unit Lt Col Bikramjeet Singh was killed and Commanding Officer Col Avin Adhiya was injured.
A Colonel rank officer would head the CoI, official sources told the Excelsior.
The CoI was part of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) being maintained by the Army in such attacks, they said.
The CoI would be mandated to look into all aspects of the attack including security lapses, if any, in the Unit.
Three fidayeens from Pakistan had stormed Mehsar Army camp on Thursday morning after attacking Hiranagar police station. The fidayeens had entered the camp around 7.45 am and were killed at 4.30 pm.
The 16 Cavalry Unit of the Army, located at Mehsar, Samba, falls under the jurisdiction of 9 Corps, headquartered at Yol Cantonment in Himachal Pradesh.
Meanwhile, police and CRPF today carried out massive search operations in Kathua and Samba districts after suspending traffic on Jammu-Pathankote National Highway this morning following information given by a woman that she had spotted couple of militants at a water pump near Government Primary School, Chajartha behind Government Degree College, about three kilometers from Hiranagar town at 8.45 am.
Police said a woman Preeto Devi wife of Mohan Singh, a resident of Chajartha, who had been working as helper in the Government Primary School had gone to fetch water at the pump when she claimed that she observed movement of two militants in combat dresses carrying pithoos.
She informed the school staff, which sounded the local people and the Panchayat members. Locals alerted SSP Kathua Mohan Lal and SDPO Border ML Kaith.
Police and para-military personnel rushed to the spot in strength and cordoned off the area. In the meantime, all security installations in Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts were alerted about reported movement of the militants and asked to remain on high alert.
IGP Jammu Zone Rajesh Kumar and DIG Jammu-Kathua range Shakeel Beig also reached the spot to co-ordinate search and cordon operations. Authorities ordered suspension of traffic on Jammu-Pathankote National Highway.
All security installations including Army and para-military camps apart from police stations and other police offices were also put on alert to thwart any attack from the suspected fidayeens.
Most of the educational institutions called parents of the students and declared the schools closed especially in the border areas of Samba and Kathua districts.
Police and para-military personnel carried out massive searches in entire border belt of the two districts leading up to Jammu-Pathankote National Highway. The searches continued till 5 pm today but there were no traces of any militants.
“The militants were not spotted anywhere. Neither there were any traces, which could confirm presence of the militants,’’ police said after calling off the searches.
IGP Jammu Zone Rajesh Kumar told media persons that police and para-military personnel searched all villages in the two districts including the dense fields but movement of the militants was not observed anywhere.
“The reports about presence of the militants seemed incorrect,’’ he said but added that police was not taking any chances and have asked all its police stations, police posts and nakas to remain on high alert. The local people including the Village Defence Committees (VDCs) and Panchayat members have also been asked to remain on alert and inform police or security forces if they observed any kind of mysterious movement in their areas.
Traffic on Jammu-Pathankote National Highway was restored this afternoon after all border areas in Samba and Kathua districts were sanitized.
On Thursday morning, three fidayeens had infiltrated from the International Border and attacked Hiranagar police station killing four police personnel and two civilians and then traveled in a hijacked truck up to Mehsar Army camp in Samba and intruding inside killing four Army jawans and injuring two others before being eliminated by the troops.
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