Rajouri/Jammu/Chandigarh, April 22
Top security officials on Saturday visited the site of the April 20 terrorist attack on an army truck in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch and reviewed the major search and cordon operation launched in the area as any breakthrough eluded the forces for the second day.
Thousands of mourners including local MPs and MLAs gathered as the five jawans, who were killed when their truck was ambushed while carrying fruits and other items to a forward village for Iftar to be hosted by the Rashtriya Rifles unit on Thursday evening, were cremated with full military honours in their native villages.
Northern Army Commander Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi, BSF Director General S L Thaosen and ADGP Mukesh Singh, besides an NSG team visited the attack site at Bhata Dhurian, an area that has remained a preferred infiltration route for terrorists from across the Line of Control because of its topography, dense forest cover and natural caves.
Dwivedi reviewed the security in the border area and the ongoing combing operation to track down the terrorists. The Northern Command said in a tweet that he was briefed on the actions undertaken so far and exhorted the troops to be steadfast in their resolve.
Officials said that around 15-16 people have been detained for questioning.
A high alert has been sounded in the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch and traffic has been suspended on the Rajouri-Poonch Highway, they said.
“The cordon-and-search operation is going on in large areas of Bhata Dhurian-Tota Gali and neighbouring areas to hunt down the terrorists involved in the attack. Multiple security agencies are engaged in the operation,” a senior officer
In October 2021, nine soldiers were killed in two major gunfights with terrorists within four days in the Bhata Dhurian forest area during a search operation, which continued for over three weeks with no trace of terrorists.
The troops involved in the operation are exercising utmost caution as the terrorists may have planted improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in the densely forested area with deep gorges and caves, officials said.
The mortal remains of Havildar Mandeep Singh from Chankoian village, Lance Naik Kulwant Singh from Charik village, Sepoy Harkrishan Singh from Talwandi village and Sepoy Sewak Singh from Bagha village – all in Punjab – and Debashish Biswal from Sakhigopal area of Odisha’s Puri were taken to their native places.
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