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Militants have carried out their deadliest ever strike on security forces in Jammu & Kashmir a day after Dr Manmohan Singh’s Congress-led coalition Government assumed office at the Centre. In a landmine blast, unprecedented in 16-year-long insurgency, a BSF vehicle has been blown up near Lower Munda on Srinagar- Jammu highway, killing as many as 30 soldiers and their family members. This human tragedy has occurred hours after the Chief of Army Staff claimed at a news conference in Srinagar that the militants’ striking capacity had been reduced to a great extent.
Inspector General of Police, Kashmir Zone K Rajendra Kumar, told the EXCELSIOR that a powerful explosion took place at Gulab Bagh (Lower Munda), near Qazigund, on Srinagar-Jammu highway at 1020 hours today. Aimed at a BSF convoy, it hit one of the buses carrying paramilitaries and their families from Srinagar to Jammu. The vehicle was blown up and it caught fire immediately. Twenty-five persons—including women and children of the BSF soldiers going on a vacation—were blown into pieces and charred to death. Nine persons sustained critical injuries. Later, five of them succumbed to injuries at hospital.
Superintendent of Police Kulgam, Hans Raj Parihar, who was the first senior official to reach the spot, said that the victims of the blast were charred beyond recognition. None of them had been identified even after hours of the explosion. Parihar said that the injured were rushed to a military hospital at Sector-2, near Qazigund, where one of them expired. Others were airlifted and admitted at Army’s 92 Base Hospital in Srinagar.
Though, IGP Kashmir and SP Kulgam put the number of the dead as 27 till late, sources said that four more of the critically injured succumbed at hospital. These sources insisted that in all 30 people were killed and four were battling for their lives at the military hospital. Those killed on the spot included at least one Inspector and one Sub Inspector. They also included six women and five children. Nineteen were reportedly soldiers and eleven others their family members. They belonged to different BSF units operating in Kashmir valley.
GOC Victor Force, Commander of Sector-2, IGP Kashmir, Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir, DIG BSF, DIG CRPF, DIG Police south Kashmir and other senior officials examined the site of the explosion and supervised the rescue operation. Later today, Director General of BSF, Ajay Raj Sharma, reached here in a special aircraft to take stock of the situation. Sources said that a high level inquiry was likely as the ROP of CRPF had cleared the highway for the movement of the convoys of security forces. The explosion, apparently caused with the help of a remote control device, took place at an open spot on the highway, between Qazigund and Jawahar Tunnel.
Officials, who were among the first to reach the spot, told the EXCELSIOR that the targeted bus was destroyed completely. Parts of its mangled body lay scattered in a radius of 100 metres. The scene was pathetic as the human organs, including those of young children, were littered around the spot. So intense was the impact that the vehicle, which was heading for Jammu, flung in air and its face turned in Srinagar direction. Sources said that four vehicles of the convoy had zipped past the killer landmine and the fifth one became the militants’ target.
Ballistic experts, who examined the spot, said that the 50-Kg landmine had been planted under a small culvert on the right side. It created a massive crater and disrupted traffic on the highway for two hours.
Hizbul Mujahideen has immediately claimed responsibility of the attack on BSF. A spokesman of the guerrilla outfit told newspaper offices in Srinagar over telephone that over 30 troopers had been killed in the blast. Surprisingly, the blast occurred within hours of the Army Chief Gen Vij’s claim, made at a news conference here on Saturday, that security forces had neutralised the militants’ capability of striking on the security forces. Significantly again, today’s explosion took place a day after the Congress-led coalition Government assumed office at the Centre and its leaders described revocation of POTA as the new government’s first priority.
Never before have this number of soldiers and their family members died in any militant attack in Jammu and Kashmir since the outbreak of insurgency in 1988.
Highly placed official sources said that Hizbul Mujahideen’s claim was credible. They disclosed to EXCELSIOR that members of the Shabir Badori group of Hizbul Mujahideen were believed to have caused the blast. These sources said that Police and security forces would launch a massive operation to eliminate the militants responsible for today’s attack. They said that neutralising the saboteurs was the topmost priority so as to sustain the tourists’ and the Amarnath pilgrims’ sense of security.
3 militants killed
Meanwhile, informed sources said that at least three militants and a civilian have died in different militancy related incidents across Kashmir valley since last evening.
Sources said that on the basis of a specific information, troops of RR 5 Bn conducted a search operation in Gutlibagh forest area, in Ganderbal, today. Two unidentified militants were killed in the encounter that continued for about two hours. Another militant, namely Jehangir Ahmed Dar S/o Bashir Ahmed Dar R/o Noorpora, Tral, has been killed by troops of BSF 120 Bn at Khirpora in Tral area of south Kashmir. Officials claimed that he was an ‘area commander’ with Jaish-e-Mohammad. Two BSF soldiers have sustained injuries in the gunbattle.
Reports from south Kashmir added that unidentified gunmen, suspected to be militants, appeared at Hanjan Chawalgam in Kulgam area last night and fired upon one Nisar Ahmed Lone of the same village. With critical injuries, he was rushed to hospital. Later, he succumbed to injuries.
Gunmen, believed to be militants, appeared at Awrigund in Tral area and kidnapped two civilians, namely Mohammad Ashraf Dar S/o Mohammad Sultan Dar and Showkat Ahmed Dar S/o Ghulam Hassan Dar. Police have registered a case but the duo was untraced till late tonight.
Last evening again, militants lobbed a hand grenade towards CRPF picket at Habbakadal. It missed the intended target and exploded, causing injuries to one head constable of CRPF and 14 civilians. Most of the injured were rushed to hospital for medical treatment.
Meanwhile, PTI adds from Washington, the United States today strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir on BSF personnel and their families resulting in the death of 33 people.
Militants attacked a BSF convoy by detonating a powerful landmine on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway killing the BSF personnel and their family members including six women and three children.
"We are shocked by this attack and
condemn it. We offer our sympathy for the victims," the State Department
said in a statement. "We hope that the perpetrators will be brought to
justice quickly." "As we have said repeatedly, violence will not resolve
the problems of Kashmir," the department added.
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