In the first major fidayeen strike since the new PDP-BJP coalition government came to power in Jammu and Kashmir, militants dressed in Army fatigues stormed a police station in Kathua district early on Friday and killed three security personnel and a civilian.
Two militants were killed in the gun battle. Eight CRPF personnel and two J&K policemen were injured.
Addressing the Assembly, Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed blamed non-state actors for the attack and said Pakistan needed to be taken on board in the fight against extremism. However, he warned that no one could stop the coalition government from making Jammu and Kashmir a hub of peace and normality.
“I want to say that the House should take notice of it…This might be the work of non-state actors. We should take on board Pakistan, which itself is facing a major war. If there are some non-state actors, there also, they should be isolated.”
“I want to warn those people [who staged the attacks] that the will of the people cannot be weakened by any gun,” the Mufti said.
The Rajbagh police station which the militants targeted also houses a CRPF unit and, at the time of the attack, there were six policemen and 19 CRPF personnel on the premises. “The militants, who were dressed in Army uniform, took our forces by surprise early in the morning,” a senior police official said. “First they killed the sentry posted at the gate. They then ran inside firing a volley of bullets that killed two more of our personnel and injured 10.”
Senior police officials said the militants, who crossed the International Border about 15 km from Kathua, launched the attack at 6.15 a.m. “Our forces killed both the militants,” Director General of the J&K Police, K. Rajendra, told The Hindu.
Soon after the attack, the police station was cordoned off and reinforcements, including the Army, were rushed to the site. According to the police, a policeman and a member of the paramilitary personnel are in a critical condition.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh called the DGP to enquire about the situation and directed Union Home Secretary L.C. Goyal to keep a watch on the developments.
Proceedings in the J&K Assembly were disrupted on Friday as the National Conference and the Congress raised questions about the attack and sought the government’s response.
Later in the day, Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh visited the hospital where the injured policemen are admitted and the police station. He also went to the house of the slain civilian.
Watch: Rajnath Singh instructs Jammu and Kashmir Home Secretary to 'actively monitor' situation in Kathua
