Kathua encounter: 2 Pakistanis killed, 4 JKP personnel martyred, says DGP

Jammu, Mar 28: Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat Friday said that two “Pakistanis (terrorists) were killed and four J&K Police personnel were martyred” in the encounter in the Sufain forest area of Juthana in Kathua district.

Speaking to media late this evening  in Kathua, he said that the war (against terrorists and its sponsors) was on and would continue and there would be no dilution in the resolve of J&K Police (and other security forces).

Earlier, the security forces had recovered the body of another policeman as they resumed anti-terrorist operations to neutralise holed-up terrorists in Sufain forest area, taking the encounter death toll to six.

With the recovery of the body of Head Constable Jagbir Chowdhary, so far, officially four Police personnel lost their lives in this encounter, which began Thursday morning.

Two terrorists too were neutralised however their bodies have not been retrieved from the encounter site so far.

“On March 23 evening, a couple in Sanyal village saw some Pakistanis. They immediately reported it to the Police. Our Police officers reached there without delay. A small Police team of five personnel went there in the forests and a gunfight ensued with those Pakistanis. You could well see and judge those Pakistanis as they ran away leaving behind 4 M4 (Carbine) magazines, 3 IEDs, 2 grenades, and miscellaneous stuff,” the DGP said.

He said that while the terrorists were on the run, during those four days, all the security forces including the Army, CRPF and BSF led by their senior officers, worked shoulder to shoulder with the J&K Police in the combing operation in Sanyal village.

“In the meanwhile, we received the input that they (terrorists) have reached the Sufain area. Immediately, after getting this input, we initiated operation on Wednesday night. Yesterday, a valorous team of J&K Police had an encounter with them. Two Pakistanis were shot dead on the spot. At the same spot, where this encounter took place, when our Police personnel were climbing the treacherous hills, Pakistanis, taking advantage of dominating position and due to clear line and sight, martyred our four valorous Police personnel,” J&K’s top cop said sharing an account of the ongoing operation.

He said, “The loss of lives of martyred Police personnel cannot be compensated by words but by our actions. I want to assert here that neither the resolve of JKP has weakened nor we have lost sight of our goal. Our goal is clear and resolve is also strong. JKP is the only Police force in the country whose valour and sacrifices have been written with the golden words in history and will continue to be so.”

The DGP vowed that the Force would not sleep or rest till the nefarious designs of the vicious neighbour and its Tanzeems (terrorist organisations) were not defeated and the noose was not tightened around them.

“This war is on and will continue and there will be no dilution in our resolve,” he said.

About the number of terrorists killed so far, the DGP said, “For us, for the time being, the most important task was to retrieve the mortal remains of our brave personnel from the encounter site. You (media) have seen yourself how rugged and treacherous terrain it is - encompassing rocky climbs, caves and dense forest cover. That (retrieval) has been accomplished today.”

He said that the operation was still on and the security forces comprising J&K Police, Army, Para and CRPF led by officers are still engaged there.

“Given the rugged nature of the terrain, the operation is taking time. But hopefully, by tomorrow evening, everything will be clear,” DGP Prabhat said.

Reports though suggested that the number of terrorists eliminated could be higher yet it could be confirmed only after the completion of the ongoing combing operation.

The joint anti-terrorist operation resumed with the first light on Friday after a night-long halt.

Earlier a senior Police officer, when queried by Greater Kashmir, about the latest status of the operation, said, “We have retrieved the bodies of all four martyred Police personnel. After completing the legal formalities, with due protocol, they (mortal remains) would be handed over to the families. Operation is continuing.”

Regarding the number of terrorists neutralised so far, he said, “Search is still being carried out. We are carrying out a very deliberate (cautious) search because the rugged area is very large and difficult. We want to be careful while reaching out to the bodies of dead terrorists. This search will go on even tomorrow to ensure that there are no more terrorists remaining in the area.”

Regarding the number of terrorists, believed to be holed up in the area and whether it was the same group, which was sighted in Sanyal village on March 23, the officer said, “That’s why we are working on it. It is very difficult to say how many more there are. There may be a lesser number; there may be more or there may be none also. So, it is not possible to say (anything) exactly (about the number) right now unless we have searched the entire area.”

He said that so far one part of the area was sanitised.

“Sanitisation of other parts is still remaining and we are in the process of carrying out searches in those areas,” the DGP said.

In this operation, besides one Para commando, four Police personnel, including the SDPO Border Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) Dheeraj Katoch, also sustained injuries.

The other security personnel killed in the operation included SgCT Tariq Ahmed, son of Kabir Hussain of Reasi; SgCT Jaswant Singh, son of Angrez Singh of Londi, Hiranagar, and SgCT Balwinder Singh Chib, son of Prem Singh of Kanna Chak, Kathua.

This encounter began after the security forces, engaged in an intensive search operation, re-established contact with a group of terrorists on Thursday morning in the Sufain forest stretch of the Juthana area under the jurisdiction of Rajbagh Police Station of Kathua district.

Heavy reinforcement was rushed to the area.

During the search operation, the security personnel came under heavy fire from the hiding terrorists, thus ensuing the operation.

DGP Prabhat, assisted by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Jammu, Bhim Sen Tuti, CRPF IG besides other senior officers of Police and Army, monitored the operation.

The DGP also visited the injured Police personnel under treatment at Government Medical College (GMC), Jammu, to learn about their well-being.

On March 23 evening, in the forest area around Sanyal village along the International Border (IB) in the Hiranagar area of Kathua district, a group of five terrorists was first sighted by a village couple.

During the Cordon and Search Operation (CASO) launched thereafter, the security forces and terrorists exchanged heavy gunfire briefly in Sanyal village on Sunday (March 23) evening. However, the terrorists managed to escape, breaking the cordon.

Since then, a multi-layer combing operation had been going on, in and around the area.

On March 26, the DGP Prabhat visited the search operation site around Sanyal village to take stock of the situation there.

The DGP had taken a round of the area and assessed the status of the multi-tier combing operation to hunt down terrorists.

Searches were further intensified after a local woman on March 25 said that two men in Army uniform approached her family in the Dinga Amb area for water and then returned to the forests.

The high point of the search operation was that well-equipped commandos were engaged in the operation.

To bolster the surveillance mechanism, security forces also used copters, drones and sniffer dogs. However, success continues to elude them.

On March 24, the security forces engaged in the operation had recovered a few belongings and ammunition, presumably left behind by the fleeing terrorists.

Meanwhile, in a related development, a massive Cordon and Search Operation (CASO) by multiple units of security forces began in the forested area of Reasi and Katra, following inputs of suspicious movement on Friday morning.

Combing operations in the dense forests continued to neutralise potential threats yet so far, no contact could be established.