Lashkar hand suspected in first terror attack in J&K under PDP-BJP government

NEW DELHI: A terrorist attack in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday morning left one policeman, two CRPF soldiers and one civilian dead while both terrorists wearing army uniforms were also killed following a six-hour joint operation by the army, CRPF and state police.

"It is a fidayeen attack," Inspector General of Police Jammu, Danish Rana said hours after the operation.

The attack is suspected to have been carried out by the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, a person familiar with the matter said, adding that the two terrorists probably crossed the international border into India on Thursday night.



The terrorists attacked the Rajbagh Police Station in Kathua, which is just 12 km from the international border. The two terrorists hijacked a car from the national Jammu-Pathankot national highway, where they flagged it on the pretext of a security check.

The driver was the first civilian casualty in the operation as he was shot after taking the militants to the police station. After reaching the station the terrorists opened fire on a guard outside, and began hurling grenades at the building.

After the operation ended, the forces began combing and sanitisation of the nearby areas to check for more infiltrators.

The modus operandi of the terrorists is similar to the series of attacks observed over the past two years in Hiranagar (Kathua), Janglot and Arnia, where the attackers targeted police and army installations after crossing over from Pakistan.

The Union home ministry has asked the home secretary to monitor the situation closely after the terrorist attack, which is the first since the formation of the new PDP-BJP government in the state.

Amid discussions in political circles regarding the removal of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act from Jammu and Kathua, the incident may trigger a fresh round of debate on scaling down troops in the region.