As many as 37 additional Quick Reaction Teams (QRTs) of the Army have been mobilized in different districts of the Jammu region to respond swiftly to any terror attack even as reports suggested that brave soldiers of Garhwal Regiment despite being injured thwarted the terrorists’ plot to snatch weapons of the martyrs during the gun battle at village Badnota in Billawar area of Kathua district on Monday. Sources told the Excelsior that 37 more QRTs of the Army have been pressed into service in all 10 districts of the Jammu region for quick and effective response to any terror attack and ensure that the terrorists don’t manage to escape from the scene which they have done in the past. food with them.
Meanwhile, a Village Defence Guard (VDG) reportedly observed some suspicious movement at village Sang in Basantgarh area of Udhampur district tonight after which the Sentry of Police Post opened firing. Reinforcement of Army, police and SOG has reached Sang and launched searches. DIG Udhampur-Reasi range Mohammad Rayees and SSP Udhampur Joginder Singh are monitoring the situation.
A police spokesperson said: “A Sentry opened fire as a precautionary measure upon noticing suspicious movement in the Sang area of Basantgarh, located in Udhampur district. Contrary to circulating social media reports, there was no attack. It is advisable for the public to avoid spreading unsubstantiated information’’. On April 28 this year, a VDG was martyred in a terror attack at Basantgarh. Four terrorists and two guides were reported to have carried out the attack on two Army vehicles at Badnota in which five Army soldiers were martyred and an equal number were injured.
Army and police personnel have been deployed in dense forests in different parts of Udhampur, Samba, Rajouri and Poonch districts. Fresh searches were also launched in the Lala Chack area of Samba, Manjakote area of Rajouri and Surankote of Poonch today. From the Bhaderwah side, security personnel are moving cautiously because of the area’s challenging topography, thick foliage and natural caves, the officials said. Personnel of the Army’s Special Forces “Para” unit have also been deployed to conduct surgical operations in specific areas, they said.
The officials said the search teams are being supported by helicopter and UAV surveillance. In addition, sniffer dogs have been deployed and metal detectors are being used, particularly dense forest areas, of the region. On the Doda search operation, officials said police and Army personnel are combing the Ghadi Bhagwah forest area, which is around 35 km east of Doda town and borders Kishtwar district. The operation to hunt down two terrorists, who are believed to have suffered injuries in the Tuesday encounter, resumed early Wednesday. The terrorists are yet to be traced, the officials said.
