‘Security of vital establishments being reviewed in JK’

Srinagar, Feb 14: The security agencies are reviewing security of vital installations and establishments in Kashmir in view militants taking advantage of multi-storey concrete buildings and carrying out Fidayeen attacks on camps.

In the last few weeks, the militants carried out several Fidayeen attacks in Jammu and Kashmir. On Monday Fidayeen carried out an attack on the CRPF camp in Karan Nagar and were then holed up inside a multistory construction building. It took forces 27 hours for the forces to kill two militants.

“Normally it won’t take much time for security forces to neutralize militants whenever they are holed up in any building,” a senior police official said. “But it was the multi-storey concrete building that militants managed to sustain for 27 hours before being killed,” a police official, told KNS.

Sources said that special directives have been issued to review security of all establishments. “There are some vital establishments, which are vulnerable to attacks. The security agencies have been directed to carry out their security review to combat any of the attacks,” a police official said.

“The new strategy on part of militants like targeting vital installations may be a move to inflict more casualties on forces besides damaging the establishments as well,” the official said.

The official said that Fidayeen attack was carried out on Lethpora camp to engage security forces for longer hours. “The Union Home Minister and Chief Minister have directed the security forces to review security of all building, which are vulnerable building,” the police official said.

In the last few years, many attacks took place in the valley militants had engage security forces for hours after holed up inside multiple storey buildings.

One such building was a six-storey building of Entrepreneurship Development Institute (JKEDI) Pampore. The gunfight, one of the longest in the history of Kashmir was believed that militants had managed to keep security forces engaged so long by taking advantage of the building.

“There are various buildings of security forces, EDI Pampore, which give militants an advantage to fight battle for longer hours.

He said the issue was also raised up in various security meeting where it was directed security agencies to ensure militants don’t manage to hole up inside such establishments and “all possible loopholes” are plugged in time. Security forces were directed to follow proper SOP so that militants don’t get a change to escape.

Besides that periodical security review of these installations is also carried out to further strengthen and update the security aspects, sources said. Earlier, a high level committee of the army had suggested measures to strengthen security of various military establishments.

The defence ministry has also sanctioned Rs 1,487 crore to the army to fortify its bases in Jammu and Kashmir, North East and several other places to plug their security gaps and protect them from any terror attacks, official sources said on Saturday.

Clearing the project, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has set a deadline of 10 months for the army to carry it out. The army headquarters has been told to monitor implementation of the project, they said.

Union Home Minister also held a meeting on Monday where he sought reports from the participants about the security arrangements in Jammu and Kashmir.

“The senior officials representing different security agencies briefed the meeting about the required steps to be taken to maintain law and order and ensure the security Plan in the state,” sources said.

Militant attack on Sunjwan Jammu Army Camp, ongoing encounter in Karan Nagar Srinagar and other attacks of militants on security forces figured prominently in the meeting, sources said.