Author: Excelsior Special Correspondent
Publication: Daily Excelsior
Date: December 19, 2003
URL: http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/web1/03dec19/news.htm#2
DIG Rajouri survives fidayeen attacks
Two Personal Security Officers (PSOs)
of DIG Rajouri- Poonch range S M Sahai were killed and two others were
injured when a fidayeen made an abortive attempt to intrude into the office
of Mr Sahai and kill him and other police personnel this morning. The fidayeen
was eliminated within 40 minutes of the attack.
Official reports and eye witness
account revealed that a fidayeen, wearing an Army uniform, first went to
the Public Works Department (PWD) at 10.45 am and inquired about the DIG
office, which was adjacent to the PWD building. As he came near gate of
the DIG office, two PSOs of Mr Sahai intercepted him but the fidayeen opened
indiscriminate firing killing one of them on spot and injuring another.
Injured jawan also succumbed to his injuries later in the district hospital.
Other police personnel in the DIG
office immediately took positions and retaliated. The DIG Rajouri, the
SSP Rajouri and other police officers also came to the scene to supervise
the operation.
The fidayeen, who had taken position
in a corner, continued firing for next 30 minutes injuring two more cops
before he was eliminated by the police personnel.
One AK-47 rifle, four magazines,
60 rounds, three hand grenades, Rs 250 in Indian currency and three slips
of Al-Mansoorian outfit, an offshoot of Lashkar- e-Toiba (LeT) outfit.
Reports said Grewal Singh, PSO of
the DIG and a resident of Mishriwalla, Jammu was killed on spot while Showkat
Ali of Faisalabad, Surankote succumbed to the injuries in the district
hospital here. Two other constables, who were injured in the attack, have
been identified as Abdul Majeed and Munawar Hussain, both residents of
Darhal. They have been hospitalised and were responding to the treatment.
Identity of the slain fidayeen hasn't
been established but he was believed to be a Pakistani.
Reports said the militant after
identifying the office of DIG Rajouri had straightway fired upon window
panes of the office, clearly indicating that he had been assigned the task
of killing Mr Sahai. The militants wanted to target the DIG as he was instrumental
in several successful operations against the militants in the twin border
districts of Poonch and Rajouri in a very short span of time.
Meanwhile, BJP leader-Vibodh Gupta,
state secretary and Yogesh Sharma have condemned the attack on the life
of Mr Sahai and expressed satisfaction that he survived the attack. They
demanded that some civil persons putting up in the Government Colony should
be screened.
It may be recalled that last year
also, a fidayeen attack had taken place in the Government Colony in which
Captain Reddy of the Army was killed.
Our Jammu correspondent adds: A
militant Mohd Rafiq was gunned down by the security forces in an encounter
in Gool area of Udhampur district this morning.
Meanwhile, out of three civilians
in captivity of the militants at Gagarsulla in Gool area of Udhampur, police
today recovered dead body of one of them while two others reached their
houses safely.
The civilian, who was killed, in
the captivity has been identified as Mohd Rafi son of Abdul Rahim Chandyal
R/o Gagarsulla. Mohd Yasin and Zahoor Ahmed were, however, released by
the militants.
Meanwhile, security forces today
recovered one M6 telescopic sniper rifle, 20 AK rounds, one AK rifle grenade,
two hand grenades and one binocular from Kuranay Wali village in Surankote
area of Poonch.
