75 camps in forests, eye on tunnels, and weapons with village defence committees – Centre’s plan to tackle terror in Jammu
The Jammu region shares 485 kilometres of the border with Pakistan, interspersed with dense forests and mountainous terrain.
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Over 75 camps with personnel of the Special Operations Group (SOG) in forest areas; regular training for Village Defence Committees (VDCs) with traditional as well as semi-automatic weapons; and an increased deployment of BSF personnel on the border with a special focus on tunnels – these are some of the key points of a security plan the Centre has prepared for Jammu, The Indian Express has learnt.
In the wake of an uptick in terror attacks in the region, including many that inflicted casualties on security forces, multiple meetings were held by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and senior ministry officials with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, and senior officials from the Army and CRPF.
According to a source, questioning of those suspected to have provided logistics to terrorists suggests a group of 30-40 persons from Pakistan, belonging to the Jaish-e-Mohammed, have infiltrated into Jammu and are hiding in the forests of Kathua, Doda, Udhampur, Kishtwar and Samba.
“Most of the people approached by them are local cattle traders. They take down their details and give them Rs 500-1,000, and ask for enough food to be packed for seven days,” said a source.
The Jammu region shares 485 kilometres of the border with Pakistan, interspersed with dense forests and mountainous terrain.
According to sources, strategic points have been identified to set up SOG camps, where personnel will be deployed from the local police, CRPF and Army. “They will conduct daily patrolling to look for terrorists,” a source said.
Significantly, it has also been decided to restart regular training for VDCs in using weapons such as the traditional .303 rifles and semi-automatic SLRs. “It also came to light that terrorists are using the personal hotspot connections of villagers to make VoIP (voice over internet protocol) calls to their handlers in Pakistan. Efforts will be made to spread awareness among villagers not to share their internet hotspot or WiFi password with any stranger. Punitive action will be taken if they do,” said a source.
Recently, the Centre also ordered the extraction of two BSF battalions, comprising more than 2,000 personnel, from Odisha to beef up security in the Jammu region.
“The decision was taken to strengthen the deployment in the border areas, specifically around tunnels to prevent infiltration. The troops of these two units are expected to be based in Samba and near the Jammu-Punjab border,” a source said.
The BSF guards more than 2,289 kilometres of the International Boundary that runs along Jammu, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat in India’s western flank. The Jammu area is vulnerable to cross-border tunnels and its dense forests and mountainous terrain make it an ideal ground for terrorists to launch attacks against civilians and security forces.
On Tuesday, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai told the Lok Sabha that the Centre has a policy of zero tolerance against terrorism. “The approach of the government is to dismantle the terror ecosystem. Security measures are being strengthened to sustain peace and stability in J&K. The strategies adopted and action taken for containing acts of terror incidents in Jammu and Kashmir include effective, continuous and sustained actions against terrorists and support structures; dismantling of terror ecosystem using whole of government approach; crackdown on terror finance such as seizure/attachment of properties belonging to terrorists and their associates under relevant section of the law; and banning of anti-national organisations,” he said.
Rai also said preventive operations involve identifying the strategic supporters of terrorism and initiating investigations to expose their mechanisms of aiding and abetting terrorism. He said that a “multi-pronged strategy to prevent infiltration” is being followed, including “enhancement of counter insurgency grid, special focus on modernisation and strengthening of security equipment, intensified cordon and search operations to effectively deal with challenges posed by terrorist organisations, sharing of intelligence inputs on a real-time basis among all security forces operating in Jammu and Kashmir, and day and night area domination”.
“Fourteen civilians killed, 14 security personnel killed, 24 encounter/counter-terror operations, and 11 terror initiated incidents have been reported this year till July 21,” he said.
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