Indian Army chief General Manoj Pande on Monday visited the Poonch sector and “exhorted” commanders on the ground to conduct operations “in the most professional manner”, days after four soldiers were killed in an ambush on December 21, and the custodial death of three civilians in an army camp the following day, officials aware of the matter said.
On Monday, officials said that defence minister Rajnath Singh will visit the Rajouri-Poonch areas on Wednesday to take stock of the security situation. Top commanders are expected to brief Singh on the security situation and the army’s counterterrorism operations, the officials said.
The army chief was briefed in detail on the security situation in the region, which has deteriorated during the last one year, the officials said.
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Pande’s visit to the Rajouri-Poonch sector is significant as the area has been tense following the killing of four soldiers in the ambush on December 21 at Dhatyar Morh in Surankote, and the custodial killings of the civilians in a 48 Rashtriya Rifles camp the following day.
“General Manoj Pande #COAS visited #Poonch sector and was given an update on the prevalent security situation. #COAS interacted with commanders on ground, exhorted them to conduct the operations in the most professional manner and remain resolute & steadfast against all challenges,” the Indian Army wrote on X.
{{/usCountry}}“General Manoj Pande #COAS visited #Poonch sector and was given an update on the prevalent security situation. #COAS interacted with commanders on ground, exhorted them to conduct the operations in the most professional manner and remain resolute & steadfast against all challenges,” the Indian Army wrote on X.
{{/usCountry}}The army is facing a backlash against the custodial deaths. The three men were among nine people picked up by the army on December 22 from Topa Peer village for questioning.
A video of the alleged torture surface on social media on Friday, showing officials beating up the men with sticks and pouring chilly powder on them, which sparked outrage among families of the victims, who said they were poor shepherds with no links to the attack or militancy. Various political parties condemned the incident and called for a probe into the matter.
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The army also moved out three officers, including a brigadier, pending a probe into the custodial deaths, the officials said, asking not to be named.
“General Pande reviewed the situation on the ground in the twin districts of Rajouri and Poonch. He was briefed by the General Officer Commanding, 16 Corps, Lieutenant General Sandeep Jain on the ongoing counterterrorist operations and steps taken to further strengthen the security grid,” said one of the officials cited above.
He was also briefed on the death of the three civilians, said a second official.
Terrorism in the region has returned to the spotlight after a series of attacks that have claimed the lives of several soldiers during the last one year.
Five Indian soldiers were killed, and an officer wounded in a terror ambush in Rajouri’s Kandi forest area in May, with the attack suspected to have been carried out by the same group of terrorists who had ambushed an army truck and killed five soldiers in Poonch in April.
More terror-related incidents have taken place after the two attacks in April-May. Pakistan-backed terrorists are believed to be behind the spate of attacks.
On December 21, the army vehicles were navigating a blind curve at a spot known as Dhatyar Morh between Dera ki Gali (DKG) area and Bulfiaz when they came under heavy fire. They were carrying personnel to an active operation to nab terrorists at the DKG area, a few kilometres away.
The attack was the sixth one since October 2021 in the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch, south of Pir Panjal mountains. As many as 29 army personnel, including two captains and two junior commissioned officers. were killed in those attacks.
While the area in question is not as close to the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan as some of the other hot spots where the attacks took place, intelligence officials aware of the matter said it was still a treacherous region.
The incidents in this region and casualties suffered by the army are a cause for concern, and steps are being taken to strengthen security in the area, the officials said.
The operation at DKG was launched on December 20 following “hard intelligence” about the presence of terrorists in the area, as previously reported by HT.
Images and videos taken in the aftermath showed an army Gypsy riddled with bullets and its windows shattered, with rifle cartridges and blood visible on the ground.