Srinagar, Mar 27: Three police personnel lost their lives, and two terrorists were neutralized in an ongoing encounter in the Ghati Juthana area of Rajbagh, Kathua district, Jammu division, on Thursday. Three others, including a Para Commando, were also injured, officials reported.
A senior police officer confirmed that two unidentified terrorists were killed during the ongoing anti-terror operation. The police personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty were identified as SgCt Tariq Ahmad (son of Kabir Hussain, resident of Reasi), SgCt Jaswant Singh (son of Angrez Singh, resident of Londi, Hiranagar), and SgCt Balwinder Singh (son of Prem Singh, resident of Kanna Chak, Kathua).
The officer said that two other J&K Police personnel, including DySP Dheeraj Katoch, two SOG jawans, and one soldier from the 1st Special Forces (Para), were injured. They were airlifted and treated at GMC Jammu. The other two are in stable condition and may be referred to Pathankot for further treatment.
The encounter is still ongoing, with heavy firing exchanged between security forces and terrorists. The area is under tight cordon as a search operation continues. Authorities believe that there may be additional terrorists hiding in the dense forest areas.
“While the operation continues, there is a strong possibility of more terrorists being trapped,” the officer added. “We have observed five terrorists in the vicinity, though final confirmation will be made tomorrow morning.”
Reinforcements from the police, army, and CRPF have reached the area, and drones and sniffer dog squads have been deployed to assist with the search. The terrain is challenging due to its high elevation, and it will take longer to neutralize the terrorists. All routes in the area have been closed, and security forces are maintaining a high alert.
The police are still investigating whether this group of terrorists is the same one that previously slipped through a cordon in the Sanyal forest area or if they are part of a new infiltration.
It may be mentioned that a group of terrorists were intercepted by the SOG in the Hiranagar sector of Kathua district on Sunday evening.
Despite a massive search operation, the terrorists managed to escape the initial cordon, the officials said, adding it is assumed that the same could have been possibly spotted near Jakhole, approximately 30 kilometers from the initial encounter site.
The terrorists were moving through the forest area when a police party headed by a SDPO moved in after getting specific information, the officials said, adding they came under heavy firing resulting in the gunfight.
Reinforcements from the police, army, and CRPF were swiftly deployed to the area. Heavy sounds of gunfire reverberated in the area.
On March 24, security forces discovered four loaded magazines of M4 carbines, two grenades, a bulletproof jacket, sleeping bags, tracksuits, several packets of food, and materials for making Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs near the scene of the earlier encounter in Hiranagar).
The search operation initially began on March 23 following intelligence inputs about the presence of terrorists in a hut in Sanyal village, around five kilometers from the Pakistan border. The terrorists opened fire, leading to a gunfight with the police that lasted over 30 minutes. A large-scale operation involving the police, army, NSG, BSF, and CRPF was launched, utilizing advanced surveillance equipment, including helicopters, UAVs, drones, and sniffer dogs.
In a separate incident during the search, a seven-year-old girl was injured when a stray bullet grazed her arm. She was immediately transferred to a local hospital and is expected to recover.
Kathua has recently become a hotspot for terrorism, with frequent infiltration attempts from across the border. The district serves as a key route for terrorists entering the region, heading toward Udhampur, Doda, Kishtwar, and further into Kashmir, contributing to a series of terror incidents over the past year.
