DG CRPF awards 49 personnel for gallant action during Nagrota encounter
Jammu, February 1
Central Reserve Police Force Director General AP Maheshwari on Saturday felicitated 49 personnel of the force for their gallant action during the Nagrota encounter with Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorists on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway.
Three Pakistan-based JeM terrorists were killed and their three Kashmiri associates were arrested after the CRPF and police intercepted a Srinagar-bound truck at Ban Toll Plaza in Nagrota area, 28 kms from here, on Friday.
The CRPF chief, who reached Jammu in the morning and visited the site of the encounter, felicitated 25 jawans with DG’s Disc and another 24 with DG’s Commendation letter for their gallant action at a ‘Sainik Sammelan”.
Maheshwari said the CRPF personnel showed bravery while taking on the highly-trained and heavily-armed Pakistani terrorists.
“Let us not get into who played a major role or otherwise. The fact of the matter is that the realtime response from the CRPF and police resulted in the neutralisation of the terrorists and the threat they were posing,” he said.
“I want to assure the people of the country that the force is promise-bound to work with courage and dedication to tackle the adversaries. And with other forces, we will be able to create a conducive atmosphere,” Maheshwari said.
Asked about the need for full-body truck scanners to prevent terrorists from moving from one place to another on the highway following second such incident in the past two years, he said, “You will find the necessary measures being put in place shortly”.
“The investigation in the case (Nagrota encounter) is going on and all aspects are being looked into. We are taking the necessary steps to strengthen the security grid and this thing also remains on the top of our mind when we chalk out our security plan,” the DG CRPF said.
In response to another question about the seized weapons from the three slain terrorists including armoured piercing steel core ammunition which can go through level three protection bullet proof vehicles, he said the investigation is in progress and all aspects are being looked into.
Asked about the role of the village defence committees (VDCs) in strengthening the security apparatus to foil nefarious designs of terrorists, Maheshwari said, “I am in for any synergistic model where the citizens and the security forces come together. In this type of conflict situation, such type of models is need of the hour”.
On the internal inquiry into the death of a CRPF DIG in a road mishap on the highway in December last year, he refused to share any details.
“I will not like to share anything… definitely so far learning is concerned, we order the Court of Inquiry into every such incident from the point of view of learning and what more capabilities we got to inculcate or how such things can be prevented.”
DIG, CRPF (north Kashmir), Shalinder Kumar Singh and his personal security officer were killed when their vehicle was hit by a landslide along the Jammu-Srinagar national highway in Ramban district on December 15 last year.
Additional Director General of CRPF, Jammu and Kashmir Zone, Zulfiquar Hassan, while giving details of the Friday operation said CRPF personnel along with two unarmed policemen intercepted a truck on the highway in the early morning hours at Nagrota, leading to an encounter.
“It was a difficult operation given the topography of the terrain at the encounter site. Full credit goes to the CRPF and the local police for their presence of mind and raw courage in neutralizing the threat,” he told reporters.
“One terrorist was killed instantly in the retaliatory firing, while two of his associates managed to escape towards a gorge but were chased by the joint parties of security forces and neutralised,” Hassan said, adding the prompt response by the CRPF personnel averted many casualties among the security forces.
He said the joint effort also resulted in the capture of three persons whose interrogation is crucial to get further leads in the case. PTI
