Terror rears its ugly head in Punjab
29 July 2015 5:28 AM IST
The attack took place a day after India celebrated Kargil Vijay Diwas, commemorating its victory in 1999 war with Pakistan. Punjab Police Chief Sumedh Saini said the terrorists were carrying sophisticated firearms and GPS system. He said it was too early to say where the terrorists had come from.
However, sources in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) indicated that the perpetrators might have entered India from Pakistan through the unfenced border between Jammu and Pathankot or Chak Hira in Jammu district. Sources said militants, who could be from Lashkar-e-Taiba terror outfit, might have entered Punjab because of heightened security in Jammu due to Amarnath Yatra.
Four police personnel including Superintendent of Police Baljit Singh and three home guards laid down their lives in the day-long gun battle which started since 5:<g data-gr-id="49">30am</g> in the morning. The police said three civilians including a woman were killed and seven others injured in the attack. The victims have been admitted to Guru Nanak Hospital for treatment. Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said the incident was “shameful and highly unfortunate” and needed to be dealt with a heavy hand.
The bomb disposal squad had also defused some live bombs which were recovered from Pathankot railway track. MHA sources said the terrorists might have entered the Indian territory around Sunday midnight and took the highway using Paharpur road, nearly 15km from the international border, to unleash mayhem. Monday’s incident was similar to the last attack in Jammu carried out by Jaish-e-Mohammed fidayeen combatants, clad in Army fatigues, storming a police station in Kathua district on March 20 this year.
Sources said the terrorists reached Parmanand village on Jammu and Kashmir border with Punjab, where they attempted to hijack a tempo at 5.30am. The tempo driver, however, managed to flee. Later, they hijacked a Maruti 800 car after injuring its driver, who is hospitalized. They also killed a roadside vendor near Dinanagar bypass and sprayed bullets on a Punjab roadways bus.
When the terrorists attacked, the bus driver Nanak Chand did not panic and instead he scared the terrorists by speeding up the vehicle towards them. After this, the terrorists stormed Dinanagar police station and killed a guard.
Showing his bravery, a head constable picked up the guard’s rifle and started firing at the terrorists. The militants were since then holed up in vacant flats in the area and engaged in <g data-gr-id="41">intermittent</g> exchange of fire with Punjab police personnel, who have cordoned off the area with the help of paramilitary forces.
At 5.30 pm, the jawans of Punjab Police SWAT unit finally raised victory slogan having successfully neutralised the terror mongers.
Rajnath blames Pak for attack
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday blamed Pakistan for Gurdaspur terror attack. The attack also reverberated in the Lok Sabha. When the house reassembled after a short adjournment at noon, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu said, “After the encounter is over the home ministry will make a statement. I would request the speaker to allow the home minister. We want to take the house into confidence.” Naidu made the statement amid a huge ruckus by the opposition led by the Congress over the Lalit Modi and the Vyapam issues.
Next Story
