Gurdaspur Terror Attack: Indian Army launches operations against militants

Terrorists wearing army uniforms on Monday attacked a bus, a health centre and a police station, leaving five people, including a policeman, dead and several injured in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district.

The Indian Army has launched an operation against the militants numbering about five who are holed up in Dinanagar police station complex. The assailants also targeted a building where the families of police personnel reside and threw grenades, reported news agencies.

The army was called in from Pathankot and the whole area has been cordoned off.

Quick Reaction Teams, bomb squads, heavy police including senior officers have also been deployed in the area which lies close to the Indo-Pakistan border.

Two army helicopters were also pressed into the operation and a gun-battle was on when reports last came in. Though there were reports of a hostage situation, officials were tightlipped.

According to police, the attack started at about 5 a.m. when the militants first targeted a roadside eatery and took off in a car after killing a person who was sleeping near Dinanagar bypass.

They said that the militants opened fire on a moving bus, in which four passengers were injured.

They also targeted a community health centre adjacent Dinanagar police station, in which a policeman and three civilians including a woman who were present in the premises were killed.

The gunmen later entered the Dinanagar police station and opened fire on policemen there in which five policemen were seriously injured. They then targeted other part of the building where the families of police personnel reside.

Further, five live bombs were found on Amritsar-Pathankot railway track and the train services on the route had been suspended.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval about the situation.

Singh assured Badal of full assistance to tackle the situation. The Home Ministry has also asked Border Security Force to enhance vigil along the entire international border with Pakistan.

"I have spoken to the Punjab CM, who apprised me of the developing situation in Gurdaspur. Security forces have rushed to the spot," said Singh, who is on his way to Madhya Pradesh.

Parkash Singh Badal summoned an emergency meeting in view of the incident.
The attackers entered the Dinanagar Police Station and opened fire at the police personnel. Among the injured was Dinanagar SHO Mukhtiar Singh, SSP Gurdaspur Gurpreet, Singh said.

The two sides were locked in a heavy exchange of fire, several hours after the incident, he added.

(Image: Indiatimes)