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3 gunbattles on single day in poll-bound J&K
Security forces killed three terrorists in separate gunfights in Jammu & Kashmir ahead of its first assembly elections in 10 years, officials said Thursday.
Security forces shot dead three terrorists as three parallel gunfights broke out in Jammu & Kashmir, officials familiar with the matter said on Thursday — the latest in a raft of encounters that have roiled the Union territory as it gears up to hold its first assembly elections in 10 years.
Two terrorists were killed in Machhal and another in Tangdhar sectors, roughly 50km apart, after security forces foiled separate infiltration bids in the Kupwara district of Kashmir, the officials said. In neighbouring Jammu, an encounter broke out in Rajouri district after forces launched a search operation to locate the terrorists hiding in the Lathi area, they added.
The first encounter broke out in Machhal at around 8pm on Wednesday after a joint team of the Indian Army, Border Security Force (BSF), and J&K Police noticed “suspicious movement” along the Line of Control (LoC). As the gunbattle raged, the forces thwarted a separate infiltration attempt along the border in Tangdhar at around 9pm. The two anti-infiltration operations continued till Thursday morning.
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“On Wednesday, we received information that infiltrators will try to cross the LoC in Tangdhar and Machhal. The intel was confirmed by the J&K Police. After the confirmation, the army, J&K Police, and BSF together laid ambushes,” Brigadier HK Dhankhar said.
He added: “During the operations, two terrorists were killed in Machhal. One terrorist was killed in Tangdhar and another seriously injured.”
Security personnel continue to maintain a heightened vigil in the north Kashmir district as it remains a key point through which terrorists attempt to infiltrate into India, officers aware of the matter said. The forces have foiled seven infiltration attempts in Kupwara this year.
“A close vigil is being maintained, and more focus has been given on developing human intelligence in order to foil infiltration attempts from the LoC at Kupwara,” J&K police spokesperson Manoj Kumar said.
While the gunbattles raged in the north Kashmir district, security personnel separately launched a search operation in Rajouri at around 9.30pm after receiving information about the presence of terrorists in the Lathi area.
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“During the search operation, a contact was established with terrorists at around 11.45pm and an exchange of fire took place near the Kheri Mohra area,” a police officer said on condition of anonymity. Additional reinforcements were rushed to the area as forces stepped up efforts to flush out “three to four” terrorists.
A spate of encounters have put J&K on the edge, prompting the country’s administrative and defence brass to take stock of the security situation in the region. This year, five personnel and seven civilians have died in terror attacks in Kashmir. Security forces have killed 24 terrorists in the Valley, 10 of them in Kupwara, in the same period. In Jammu, 14 security personnel and 11 civilians have died in separate extremist attacks, with security forces gunning down six terrorists in the region.
The increase in terror activities comes in the midst of heightened political activity in the restive UT, which is set to hold elections on September 18 and 25, and October 1. Close to 300 additional companies of paramilitary forces will be deployed across the UT in the run-up to the polls to maintain law and order, officials aware of the matter said, adding that they have stepped up vigil in the region.
“The enemy has been attempting these things [terror strikes] in the past as well, so we are taking no chances and keeping a close watch,” a senior police office in north Kashmir said on condition of anonymity.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and party candidate from Kalakote-Sunderbani seat, Thakur Randhir Singh, said Pakistan and terror outfits sponsored by it intended to obstruct the conduct of upcoming polls.
“During militancy, there used to be frequent calls for shutdowns followed by stone-pelting in Kashmir. Today, there is peace in Kashmir, and everyone is doing their work. Everyone talks about development, and not militancy, today. But Pakistan has continued with its actions. This is an attempt to disturb the upcoming elections,” he said.
(With inputs from Jammu)
