Gurdaspur: Terror returned to the Punjab on Monday (July 27) morning after more than a decade leaving behind a trail of death and destruction. A group of heavily armed terrorists launched a suicide attack at a police station in Dinanagar in Gurdaspur district of the Punjab in the morning reviving fears of Khalistani terror groups making a comeback in the state.
The attack site in Dinanagar, which is very close to the international border with Pakistan, saw security forces and the three terrorists engaging in an almost 12-hour gunbattle before all the attackers were killed. Three home guards and one Punjab Police Superintendent of Police Baljeet Singh along with three civilians were also killed.
According to intelligence sources the attackers were from Pakistan based terror group Lashkar-e-Toiba.
Though there was no official word on who the attackers were, but they are suspected to have sneaked into India from Pakistan through the unfenced border between Jammu and Pathankot or Chak Hira in Jammu district.
Director General of Punjab Police Sumedh Singh Saini said, "The terrorists were carrying sophisticated weapons. We have recovered 'Made in China' grenades from them. They were wearing combat fatigues."
An alert has been sounded along the international border in Punjab and Jammu as the terrorists are suspected to have infiltrated from there, the sources said.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval about the situation. Later, he met top officials to review the security situation in the wake of the attack.
Singh said he will make a statement on the issue on Tuesday in Parliament, where members on Monday sought a detailed government response.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has denied any involvement in insurgencies in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. "We condemn in the strongest terms the terrorist incident in Gurdaspur, India, today, in which a number of precious lives have been lost. There are reports of others having suffered injuries. Our thoughts are with the bereaved families. Pakistan reiterates its condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. We extend heartfelt sympathies and condolences to the Government and people of India and wish the wounded speedy and full recovery," it said.
How the terror unfolded:
# All three terrorists entered Gurdaspur district from Pakistan side, 12 KM from Gurdaspur
# They crossed over to India from Narowal in Pakistan
# They were in Army fatigues
# Intelligence agencies believe that they are from LeT
# They were heavily armed like any other Fidayeens and had GPS etc
# It was a well planned attack
# Terrorists moved to Gurdaspur after another attack bid was failed
# Strong possibility that they wanted to target Amarnath Yatra
# Terrorists threatened a shop keeper, stole his car and reached Dinanagar
# They attacked a bus, then entered Dinanagar police station
# Entered police station in the early morning
# First took the people inside hostage
# When the police surrounded them, they killed them
# Gun battle with the police ended after 11 hours
# One SP, 3 Home guards, 3 civilians killed by terrorists
# All 3 terrorists also killed
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