Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Dec 1: The BSF today said 70 meters long tunnel used by three militants to enter into Indian territory at forward area of Chamliyal in Ramgarh sector of Samba district had originated from Pakistan and it was not possible for the militants to construct the tunnel without support of the Pakistani Rangers even as the Union Home Ministry is likely to handover Tuesday’s twin terror attacks of Nagrota and Samba to National Investigating Agency (NIA) for probe.
Official sources said since all major terror attacks across the country, the latest one being at Uri in Baramulla district of Kashmir valley on September 18 in which 20 Army jawans were martyred, are being investigated by the NIA, these two cases will also go to the Agency.
The Centre is waiting the clearance of Army and the State Government after which both cases would be handed over to the NIA, which had already produced challan in terror attack of Narsu, Samroli in Udhampur district of Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, which took place on August 5 last year.
Addressing a press conference late this evening at BSF Paloura Headquarters, IG BSF, Jammu Frontiers, DK Upadhyaya accompanied by DIG BSF Dharmendra Pareek, said it was not possible to construct the tunnel without support of the Pakistani Rangers as it had originated from Pakistan.
“How it can be constructed without their (the Rangers’) support”?, he asked.
The BSF played video of the tunnel at the press conference showing its exit inside a field at Chamliyal and some inner portion.
“The militants had used the tunnel to negotiate border fencing and reach Indian territory from Pakistan. This was done by the militants as they couldn’t have succeeded in breaching the fence to infiltrate into this side in view of strict surveillance maintained by the BSF-both through the help of its men as well as sophisticated gadgetry,” Upadhyaya said.
He added that tactically it was “one time use” tunnel, which could have been dug only two to three days back.
“Our jawans had been patrolling the border fence regularly. The farmers are also active in the area. The tunnel had open exit in a field and it was clear that it had been dug for one time use,” the BSF Jammu chief said.
He said the tunnel was about 70 meters long.
“It had been dug through Pakistan side and negotiating border fencing had opened up in a field,” he said, adding the BSF detected the tunnel as soon as they thwarted the infiltration attempt by three militants and eliminated them after an encounter.
“I can’t reply to speculations,” Upadhyaya said in response to a question whether there was any connection between Samba and Nagrota terror attacks as both took place almost simultaneously on November 29.
He said the BSF was maintaining very high alert on the International Border (IB) and it was in view of this that they could detect infiltration by three militants using tunnel within no time.
“Not only the militants were eliminated immediately after their infiltration, the tunnel was also detected in the morning as BSF found that fencing was intact in the area, where the gunbattle took place,” the IG BSF said.
Meanwhile, according to official sources, the BSF will lodge strong protest with the Rangers on digging of tunnel from Pakistan side for infiltration of the militants.
“Entire evidence pertaining to origin of the tunnel in Pakistan and its exit on Indian side has been videographed. The video and pictorial evidence of the tunnel will be given to the Rangers soon,” sources said, adding it was yet another case of open support to the militants by the Pakistani Rangers as it wouldn’t have been possible to dig the tunnel from Pakistan side with active connivance of the Rangers.
Infact, they said, the engineering wing of the Rangers might have been involved in digging the tunnel for the militants as there had been reports that Chinese technology had been used to dig the tunnel within few hours. The tunnel was very small and militants had crossed it by crawling. The exit of the tunnel in a field at Chamliyal might have been opened only on the preceding night of infiltration to avoid its detection as the area is patrolled by the BSF regularly and frequented by the farmers.
Meanwhile, two main complexes at the Army unit in Nagrota, which witnessed a fierce gunbattle and hostage-like situation, have been cleared by the Army as combing operation continued for the second day today at the camp targeted by terrorists though the operation against the militants has been declared as closed after the killing of all three militants, who were believed to be Pakistanis affiliated with `Afzal Guru Brigade’ of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) outfit.
“Combing and sanitization operations resumed today to clear the entire area of the Army Unit from unexploded bombs and other material left out by the slain militants. It will take some more time. No one has been allowed inside so far”, sources said.
They said two main building complexes where the gun-battle and hostage-like situation took place have been cleared and they are totally free from blinds (unexploded shells).
Most of the blinds blast on the spot and the area is being cleared inch by inch so it will take some time before the unit area is opened for normal operation and activity, they added.
“Operation is on to see whether there is presence of any other militant in the area. We cannot take chances”, sources said.
“Blinds were destroyed today at the site of the deadly terror attack on an Army base in Nagrota by a bomb disposal team during combing operations that are still underway,” sources said.
Huge number of blinds of various types have been found in and around the two complexes and other areas of the unit, which were left behind by slain terrorists.
The Army launched combing, search and sanitization operation using sniffer dogs, bomb disposal squads with technical teams armed with equipment after conclusion of the day-long gun-battle between troops and three heavily armed militants, who stormed at 166 Artillery Unit of Army at Nagrota on Tuesday.
Jammu was rocked by two terror attacks in which seven Army personnel, including two Major-rank officers, were killed and eight other security-men, including a BSF DIG, were injured, before six heavily-armed terrorists were eliminated in separate fierce encounters at Nagrota and Samba.
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