Srinagar, July 11: Three days after terrorists attacked an Army convoy in Kathua, top officials from the Jammu and Kashmir Police, BSF, Central Agencies, and Punjab Police convened an Inter-State Coordination meeting in Kathua on Thursday.
On July 8, five Army personnel, including a JCO, were killed and six others injured when terrorists ambushed an Army convoy in the remote Machedi area of Kathua district in the Jammu region.
The security grid along the IB in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab was reviewed along with measures to plug any loopholes to counter infiltration from Pakistan, they said while giving details of the meeting that was held at the District Police Lines in Kathua and chaired by Border Security Force (BSF) Special Director General, Western Command, Y B Khurania.
Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police R R Swain and his Punjab counterpart GauravYadav were among those present at the more than three-hour-long meeting.
The meeting also comes at a time when terror activity has increased in the otherwise peaceful Jammu region with terrorists managing to carry out five attacks within a span of one month — between June 9 and July 8.
After the meeting, Punjab’s Director General of Police, GauravYadav, stated that the meeting aimed to enhance border security and synergy between the state police forces and the Border Guarding Force. In a post on X, DGP Yadav highlighted the importance of the conference in fostering cooperation and exploring innovative solutions to strengthen border management and public safety.
DGP Punjab Yadav said that the Conference was attended by Spl DG BSF Western Command, DGP J&K, DGP Punjab and senior officers from the Punjab Police, J&K Police, BSF, and Central Agencies for exchange of best practices and exploring innovative solutions to bolster border management and public safety.
“We are united in our commitment to seamless cooperation, we are dedicated to maintaining internal security in the border states of Jammu and Kashmir & Punjab,” he said.
The conference saw the participation of Spl DG BSF Western Command, DGP J&K, DGP Punjab, and senior officers from the Punjab Police, J&K Police, BSF, and Central Agencies.
A senior police official stated that, in addition to inter-state coordination between J&K and Punjab, the recent terrorist attack in Kathua was also discussed.
“It is believed that terrorists had infiltrated through the International Border (IB), and plans were discussed to thwart such incidents and maintain heightened alertness along the borders, ” he said.
The attack occurred on the Machedi-Kindli-Malhar mountain road near Badnota village, approximately 150 km from Kathua’s district headquarters. The official described the incident as a major security lapse, underscoring the need for increased caution in the future.
The terrorists targeted the convoy trucks, which were around 500 meters apart, using grenades and, alarmingly, armor-piercing bullets and an M4 assault rifle. Senior police officers, including Director-General of Police RR Swain, J&K’s senior-most officer, and high-ranking Army officials, reviewed the situation and the response to the attack.
Over the past 32 months, 44 soldiers have been killed in the Jammu region, previously considered free from terrorism. Despite almost every attack, the terrorists have managed to escape without casualties.
The Kathua attack was the second on the Army within two days; on Sunday, terrorists attacked an Army camp in Rajouri, injuring one soldier before the attack was repulsed.
