- 3 Army men, including captain, 2 attackers killed
- Civilian killed in Army firing on protesters demanding bodies of militants
Three army men including a captain were killed and five others injured in a pre-dawn fidayeen attack on army’s Panzgam garrison near Line of Control (LoC) in border district of Kupwara on Thursday. Two militants were also killed in the retaliatory firing.
A civilian was also killed in Army firing on protesters who were demanding bodies of militants.
Defence spokesperson, Colonel Rajesh Kalia said two heavily armed militants stormed the army garrison at Panzgam, Kupwara at around 4:30 am.
“The militants were engaged by army men deployed in the camp in a gun battle. In the ensuing firefight, three army men including a Captain were killed and five other army men sustained injuries,” he said.
Kalia said both the attackers were also killed in the gunfight.
“The injured army men were evacuated to army hospital, Srinagar for specialized treatment,” he said.
The slain army men were identified as Captain Ayush Yadav, 26, from Kanpur, UP; Subedar Bhoop Singh Gujjar, 46, from Rajasthan and Naik B.V. Ramanna, 38, from Visakhapatnam.
An army official said the captain was killed when he moved to stop militants from entering into living area.
He said militants cut through two-layered barbed wire fencing of the Army garrison following which they lobbed hand grenades and fired indiscriminately.
Addressing reporters at Panzgam Army garrison, Lt Colonel Sorub Joshi said militants were observed cutting the perimeter fence of the garrison.
“Army men launched the operation at 4: 30 am when two to three militants were observed cutting the perimeter fence of the garrison. The Army patrol immediately challenged and fired on the militants, who fired back and started running towards the living area of one of the units in the garrison,” he said.
Joshi said the army men in the living area fired and pinned down the militants.
“The heavy volume of fire forced the militants to withdraw and they were chased to exit of the garrison. Throughout the operation, no militant was given entry to the living area by accurate and heavy firing from all directions,” he said adding both the attackers were killed.
Panzgam is the rear administrative area for some nine Army units in Kupwara.
Joshi said the search and combing operation was in progress.
He said three AK-47 rifles, nine magazines, 156 rounds of AK-47, one Chinese pistol, one pistol magazine, one UBGL and three grenades, three hand grenades, three matrix sheets, two GPS, one smart phone, two radio sets and some food items were recovered from possession of the slain militants.
“The recovery of one additional AK 47 indicates presence of the third militant. The combing operation is going on,” he said.
According to Joshi, the gunfight lasted for 35 minutes.
He said the third militant was injured during gunfight and left his weapon and was on run.
“The search operation has been launched to track him down. Several army teams were hunting for the militant in the villages near the garrison,” the officer said.
He said identity of the slain militants was being ascertained.
“However, material recovered from their possession indicates that they were foreigners,” he said.
Meanwhile, massive protests erupted near the army camp after the gunfight ended with locals demanding bodies of the slain militants.
The people of several villages living closed to the army camp took to roads and staged a protest near the army camp. Chanting pro-freedom and anti-India slogans, the protestors were demanding bodies of the militants killed in the encounter for their proper burial.
The protesters pelted stones on Army convoy, which were moving in the area while the combing operation was on.
A large contingent of police and paramilitary forces were deployed in the area to contain the protests.
The protestors clashed by the force personnel by pelting stones on them.
As the protests and clashes continued, army men opened fire on the protestors causing death of a civilian.
The deceased was identified as Mohammad Yousuf Bhat, 57, son of Khazir Mohammad Bhat of Panzgam village.
His son Umar Yousuf alleged that the army men fired indiscriminately on the protestors.
“They fired directly on my father, who was standing here. They did not resort to baton charge to disper the protestors and instead opened fire to kill people. They fired on people without any warning,” he said.
After the killing of civilian, protests intensified in the area and spread to adjoining areas as well.
5th Major Attack In 2 Years
November 29, 2016: Militants attack army camp at Nagrota in Jammu, killing 7 army men including two officers September 18, 2016: Seventeen army men were killed on army base in Uri area of Baramulla district. All the four attackers were also killed.
June 25, 2016: Eight CRPF men were killed and 20 others injured when Lashkar militants attacked their convoy in Pampore area on on Srinagar-Jammu Highway.
February 21, 2016: Three army commandos, including two Captains were among seven security men killed in fidayeen attack on EDI building.
