Drones scan Doda’s Kota Top as searches continue across Jammu

Jammu and Kashmir Police personnel during a search operation at Tawi on the outskirts of Jammu.

Security forces on Saturday intensified their search operations across Jammu region, especially in Kathua, Doda, Reasi, Udhampur and Rajouri districts to track-down terrorists. However, there has been no fresh contact with the terrorists.

“Searches are underway in Doda’s Kota Top, Chattargala and other areas but there has been no contact so far with the terrorists,” Doda senior superintendent of police (SSP) Javid Iqbal said.

On Saturday, the army again used its drones to scan the hills and jungles for terrorists.

Head constable Fareed Ahmed was attacked and injured by the terrorists at Kota Top on Wednesday.

Around 1.30 pm Saturday, security forces also launched a search operation in Sumb area of Samba district following inputs of some suspicious movement.

In Reasi, where terrorists attacked a pilgrims’ bus and killed nine pilgrims besides injuring 42 others on Sunday, the police have been working on the leads but nothing concrete has been achieved yet.

Security heightened

Following the attack, security has been heightened across the district, especially in and around the famous cave shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi and at Katra town.

“There were inputs of some suspicious movement on Friday afternoon in a peripheral village of Mata’s shrine. Police with the help of army, paramilitary and security agencies have searched all the approach tracks to and slopes behind the shrine multiple times and have closed the operation after declaring it clear. There’s absolutely no reason to panic,” a police spokesperson said.

He informed that Reasi SSP Mohita Sharma had passed instructions to police and alerted sister security agencies to respond to a report received on Friday afternoon about the suspicious movement.

Security forces also continued with their search operations in Kathua’s Hiranagar.

Around 5 pm, security personnel of the Special Operations Group launched searches in the Sidhra area.

“We received inputs of suspicious movement and rushed the SOG men to the spot. They searched the area but nothing was found,” a police officer said.

The SOG men also searched the area beneath a key bridge over Tawi river that connected Sidhra to Nagrota and is part of NH-44 (Jammu-Srinagar national highway).

Following a spurt in terror attacks in Jammu, home minister Amit Shah will chair a high level meeting at Delhi on Sunday to review the security scenario in Jammu and Kashmir ahead of annual Amarnath Yatra that starts June 29.

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also scheduled to visit Srinagar on June 21 to take part in International Yoga Day at the banks of Dal Lake.

Ahead of the PM’s visit, the Border Security Force and the Army have also upped their security grid and maintained 24x7 surveillance on the 198-km long Indo-Pak international border and 744 km long Line of Control as a precautionary measure.

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