Army’s high-level inquiry apace

Rajouri, Dec 26: A high-level inquiry by the Indian Army under the Ministry of Defence into a sequence of incidents - terrorists’ attack on army vehicles at Dehra Ki Gali forests near Bufliyaz, followed by the death of three local men who were allegedly detained by army for questioning, is continuing apace.

The inquiry team of the Indian army is camping in the area and is regularly monitoring the situation, besides holding a probe into the incidents.

The attack took place at around 3.40 pm on Thursday when terrorists ambushed army vehicles in DKG forests on DKG-Bufliyaz road. Four army personnel lost their lives while three others were injured.

The attack, which emerged as a matter of concern in the security establishment, was followed by another uneasy incident in which three men from Topi Peer village died under mysterious conditions leading to widespread anger among the people. The deceased were among the locals who were detained by the army in connection with questioning after the terrorist attack.

The police have also registered a case under relevant sections of law in the Surankote police station.

The army inquiry is being monitored by the Ministry of Defence and Army Headquarters and is especially aimed at devising a strategy to plug loopholes, if any, to prevent such attacks in future.

Under this inquiry, official sources said, the views of some army officers present in the area were also taken into consideration.

Earlier, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Manoj Pande visited Rajouri, Poonch sectors on Monday and took stock of the overall security situation besides interacting with officers of field formations.