Militants with arms reach city’s outskirts from border unchecked
* Recovery of Pak made tablets confirms fresh infiltration
* NIA, SIA teams reach spot, case may go to one of them
* Big conspiracy ahead of PM’s visit foiled: DGP
Sanjeev Pargal
Jammu, Apr 22: Police, Army and paramilitary personnel foiled major plot by terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) to trigger suicide attack on security installation at Sunjuwan on outskirts of Jammu City in wee hours of this morning when they gunned down both Pakistani fidayeens after about five hours long gun battle in which a Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) officer was martyred while 10 others were injured.
The militants appeared to have infiltrated recently which was evident from the fact that they were carrying Pakistan made diclofenac and paracetamol tablets and had planned to create sensational terror strike on any security installations just two days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Palli Gram Panchayat in Samba district to address rally of nearly one lakh people and launch various development projects.
Both the slain militants were wearing explosive filled jackets with a view to repeat Pathankot airbase like killings of security personnel while shifting their bodies. However, alert teams of Bombs Disposal Squad first detonated explosives in the jackets and then retrieved the bodies. In Pathankot airbase attack on January 2, 2016, an Army Lieutenant General was martyred when explosives tied with body of the militant went off.
The militants were in their mid-twenties. Click here to watch video
Sources told the Excelsior that the militants appeared near Chadda Camp of CISF in Jalalabad area of Sunjuwan during crucial early morning shift change around 3.30 am and opened firing on a bus in which the jawans were boarding for duty to Jammu Airport.
The CISF jawans immediately retaliated leading to an encounter. The militants took shelter in bathroom of an adjacent house belonging to Anwar Hussain son of Mohammad Shaffi Teli.
Additional reinforcement of Jammu and Kashmir Police, Army and CRPF reached the spot. The CISF also joined the operation.
SSP Jammu Chandan Kohli told the Excelsior that houses were secured one by one and finally the house belonging to Anwar was secured after rescuing his four family members to ensure that there is no civilian killing. The militants opened heavy firing and lobbed grenades towards security personnel but were eliminated in retaliatory action.
CISF ASI SP Patel, 58, a resident of Satna in Madhya Pradesh attained martyrdom in the encounter while a total of 10 security personnel including CISF and police were injured. They were immediately evacuated from the site of encounter and shifted to the Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu.
GMC Jammu Principal Dr Shashi Sudhan Sharma said out of 10 injured, four were discharged after preliminary treatment while one is admitted in the Intensive Care Unit. Condition of rest five injured is stable, she added.
The militants were in possession of large quantity of arms, ammunition, explosive devices including two AK rifles, one Under Barrel Grenade Launcher, one Satellite telephone, energy drinks and Pakistan made medicines and were wearing explosive filled vests to cause maximum casualties.
However, their plan was foiled by police and paramilitary personnel.
Police was of the view that the militants had freshly infiltrated to Jammu from Pakistan as earlier also there had been intrusions from the International Border and militants had managed to reach Nagrota thrice, Jhajjar Kotli once and other places before being eliminated.
Sources were, however, of the view that if the heavily armed militants managed to reach Sunjuwan from the International Border from Jammu, Samba or Kathua districts, this has definitely put a question mark on security arrangements ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit.
“Whether the militants infiltrated from Akhnoor, RS Pura, Samba or Hiranagar is immaterial. What is surprising is that they managed to reach outskirts of Jammu City after travelling several kilometres and that too at a time when the Prime Minister’s visit to Jammu is just two days away,” sources pointed out and said the security and Intelligence agencies should have to rethink their strategy.
There was general view that loopholes in Security Grid which give access to militants to cross the International Border and reach close to military installations have to be plugged to prevent suicide attacks.
As soon as the news about terror attack spread, authorities ordered closure of educational institutions in Sunjuwan and its all surrounding areas and suspended traffic which was restored after the encounter was over and area was sanitized by police.
“From last night, police and other forces were involved in an operation which has culminated… As per reports, the two militants were part of Jaish-e-Mohammed’s suicide squad, launched from Pakistan and tasked with targeting a camp of the security forces or engaging… To inflict a lot of casualties,” Director General of Police Dilbag Singh told reporters near the scene of the early morning encounter in Sunjuwan area after the operation was executed successfully by Jammu Police in coordination with other security agencies.
“The encounter took place two days ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit. It is part of a big conspiracy to disturb the peaceful atmosphere of Jammu and it could be a big conspiracy to sabotage the visit,” Dilbag said.
“It is good that we got timely inputs and the operation was concluded successfully,” he added.
The Prime Minister is scheduled to visit Palli village of Samba on National Panchayati Raj Day on April 24. He will address a rally of nearly one lakh people including 30,000 representatives of the Panchayati Raj Institutions besides launching various developmental projects and investment proposals for Jammu and Kashmir.
“The militants attempted to flee the cordoned area. This resulted in heavy firing between them and the security personnel at the outer cordon, resulting in injuries to some police and CISF personnel. Among them, one Assistant Sub-Inspector of the CISF succumbed later,” he said.
The police chief said the cordon was further tightened and a gunfight ensured. Senior officers of the police, CRPF and CISF, including Additional Director General Police Mukesh Singh, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Jammu, Vivek Gupta and SSP Jammu Chandan Kohli, led from the front.
“The operation was completely successful with both the militants neutralised. They were affiliated with the JeM and were wearing suicide vests,” the DGP said.
The militants were also carrying energy drinks and medicines besides the large quantity of arms and ammunition, mostly carried by ‘fidayeen’ militants, he added.
Asked about the identity of the slain militants, Dilbag said further investigation is on. “On the basis of the reports, they are both Pakistani nationals.”
“It looks that they have freshly infiltrated into this side (from Pakistan). They have no history (of terror activities) in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
The DGP said three weapons were recovered along with lot of grenades from the possession of the slain terrorists.
“They fired rifle grenades and some more security personnel were also injured after the initial casualties,” he said, ruling out the presence of a third militant.
Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Mukesh Singh said a major fidayeen (suicide) attack in Jammu has been averted with the elimination of the two heavily armed militants.
A senior Central Industrial Security Force officer said the militants fired at the bus and lobbed grenades, killing ASI S P Patel and injuring other occupants. The force retaliated effectively.
Later in a tweet, the CISF said its personnel were attacked by militants while going for an ongoing cordon and search operation.
Mobile internet services were suspended for some time.
“Had the militants succeeded and were not forced to take shelter in a nearby residential area, the casualty among the forces could have been much more,” CISF Deputy Inspector General (DIG) for operations and chief spokesperson Anil Pandey said.
Another officer said a team of 15 Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel onboard a static private bus was just about to take charge from those who were finishing their night duty when the attack took place around 4:25 am.
The bus driver ran away after the militants launched heavy gunfire and lobbed grenades even as the security personnel quickly took position and retaliated, he said.
A cordon-and-search operation is being carried out in the area for the last two-three days and the CISF team was part of it today.
“We had inputs that two-three ‘fidayeen’ attackers of the Jaish-e-Mohammed could be lurking around in the area,” the second officer quoted above said.
The CISF has deployed 13 companies or about 1,200 personnel on internal security duties in Jammu and Kashmir and those who came under the attack belonged to company number 757 based in Bhilai in Chhattisgarh, another officer said.
Meanwhile, special teams of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and State Investigation Agency (SIA) visited the site of encounter for on spot investigations. The Forensic experts were also present.
The NIA and SIA officials remained at the spot for couple of hours.
Sources didn’t rule out the possibility of the case being handed over to either NIA or SIA for further investigations.
Security arrangements have been further beefed up in entire Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit.
Senior officers also reviewed the security arrangements.
3rd attack in area, local help not ruled out
Today’s was the third terror attack in Sunjuwan and there have been reports that the militants might have taken shelter somewhere in the area after their infiltration and carrying out attack on the CISF personnel.
A number of militants including the one hailing from Banihal who was caught with powerful Improvised Explosive Device (IED) supplied through drone from across the border and another whose wife was Law Graduate, had been arrested from rented houses in Sunjuwan among others.
Two militants had struck at Sunjuwan Army camp in 2003 resulted in martyrdom of 12 soldiers and injuring nine others before being gunned down.
On February 10, 2018, the militants again stormed Sunjuwan Army camp in which seven persons including six jawans were martyred. All three militants were later eliminated.
In 2018 attack also, there had been reports that the militants had taken shelter somewhere before targeting the Army camp.
Sources said police have some leads over local support to the militants which will be part of investigations.
Rescued civilians had lost all hopes
“We thought we would never see each other again,” said Zulfikar Ali as he recounted the hours that followed after a fierce gunbattle broke out between militants and security forces at Jalalabad in Sunjuwan eary this morning.
There was heavy firing and grenade explosions, and little chance of getting out alive, said the 34-year-old, who hid in a corner of his house along with his family as bullets and splinters hit walls and vehicles outside.
It was amid this terrifying situation that a team of the army entered the house and under heavy protection started rescuing every member, he said.
“The team took us to a safe place and we are alive today,” said Ali, claiming that the gunbattle broke out in the densely populated Jalalabad area sometime after 4 am.
“A loud explosion in the compound of the house woke us up. This was followed by the deafening noise of firing of automatic rifles and more explosions,” said Ali.
Masarat Hussain, another resident, said, “We had woken up for sahar (morning meals during Roza in the month of Ramzan) when firing and blasts rattle us.” Doors and windows were closed, and the sound outside was terrifying, he recalled.
Ali said that after being woken up by the grenade blast, he immediately called the local police Station House Officer for help and rescue.
They responded in time, he said and showed his house’s compound walls which were riddled with bullets.
“We have never seen this happening. We do not want to see this again I am thankful to the Army from the core of my heart. They brought us out of the house,” Ali said.
Meanwhile, the abandoned bathroom where the final assault took place was in the backyard of a house belonging to Anwar Hussain who said that the security forces evacuated them to safety before neutralising the militants.
“We did not know that the terrorists had entered our backyard as it usually remains locked. We were informed about it by the Army,” Anwar Hussain told reporters here.
Anwar, who was not at home when the encounter broke out, said the militants had gained access to their backyard after jumping from the rooftop of an adjacent building.
“The sound of explosions woke us up. As my husband was not at home, I called him and he told me to stay quiet and not get up for sahar,” Anwar’s wife said.
“My daughters and I were terrorised by the gunbattle and sound of explosions”, she said, adding that the army evacuated them around 6 am.
“It was then that we realised that the terrorists were hiding in our backyard,” she said.
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