Nadeem Nadu/M S Nazki
Jammu, April 22 (GNS): Two fidayeen (suicide) attackers and an Assistant Sub Inspector of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) were killed and several security forces personnel were injured in a pre-dawn gunfight in Jammu on Friday, two days ahead of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Samba.
Director General of Police, Dilbag Singh said that J&K police, CRPF and CISF had launched a joint operation during the intervening night at Sujwan area after militants attacked a bus of the paramilitary CISF.
“The hiding (militants) in an attempt to flee from the spot opened indiscriminate firing on joint Police and Security Forces party which was effectively retaliated triggering an encounter,” he said, adding, “In the process Assistant Sub-Inspector of CISF S P Patel was killed and some of our security personnel were also injured.”
He said two Pakistani militants of JeM who were in “fidayeen gear/mode” were killed in the encounter.
“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,” the DGP said, adding “it is good that we got timely inputs and the operation was concluded successfully.”
On the identity of the slain militants, the top police officer said an investigation is on but prima facie, it looks that the two were Pakistani nationals and had freshly infiltrated into this side from Pakistan. They have no history of militant activities in Jammu and Kashmir, he said.
Replying to a question about local support to the militants, Singh said, “We have certain leads and we are working on them.”
According to the police, the gunfight began when the militants opened fire on the search party.
Mukesh Singh, ADGP Jammu Zone, had said that there were specific inputs that militants were planning to “do something” and based on it, a cordon was launched and “there was firing”.
“2 (militants) were killed. 2 AK-47 rifles, arms and ammunition, satellite phones (besides) some documents were recovered,” the ADGP said.
Reports said that the operation began around 4.25 am on Friday when the two militants, who were apparently moving towards the Army camp, were spotted by the guards who were changing duties.
Around the same time, a CISF bus carrying 15 personnel was proceeding towards the Jammu airport, which was being guarded by the paramilitary force. The two militants, they said, lobbed a grenade towards the bus and fired indiscriminately at it before escaping into a nearby locality, prompting the joint team to lay a cordon around the area.
In a tweet, the CISF said its personnel were attacked by militants while going for an ongoing cordon and search operation.
Sources told GNS that at least eleven security personnel were injured in the gunfight.
Officials have identified personnel who was killed as ASI S P Patel of CISF while some injured as police Head Constable Balraj Singh of
Kathua, SPO Sahil Sharma of Akhnoor, CISF’s Parmod Patra of Odisha and Amir Soran of Assam.
Mobile internet services were suspended and schools in the vicinity of the encounter site were closed for the day as a precautionary measure. The encounter comes two days ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit to Samba. (GNS)