Terrorists in army uniform kill 9 in Punjab's Gurdaspur

[Jaswinder Singh Baidwan]

Nine persons, including three police home guards, have been killed and four injured in a shootout, confirmed by the Union home ministry as a terror attack, in Punjab's Gurdaspur district.

The assailants came in a car and they first opened fire at a moving bus which was coming to Punjab side from Jammu and Kashmir on the Amaritsar-Pathankot highway, SSP Gurdaspur Gurpreet Singh said.

The attackers then entered the Dinanagar Police Station and also opened fire at the police personnel. Three persons were injured there, including Dinanagar SHO Mukhtiar Singh, he said.

According to television reports, the four terrorists are holed up inside the police station even as an encounter is underway.

The Army has taken over the operation to flush out the terrorists

The home ministry is monitoring the situation in Gurdaspur.

"I am confident that the situation will be soon brought in control," Home Minister Rajnath Singh said, shortly after he spoke to Home Secretary L C Goyal and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

The home minister has ordered the Border Security Force to immediately move forces to Gurdaspur to assist the police. He also instructed the BSF to enhance vigil along the entire international border with Pakistan.

The timing of the attack, methodology & location are all eerily similar to attacks in the border belt of Jammu, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah tweeted.

Meanwhile, five live bombs, believed to have been planted by the terrorists before they went on a shooting spree, have been recovered on a railway track between Dinanagar and Pathankot.

 

[Dhillon]

Shocking news.

 

[gagan kaur]

vry sad news

 

[kit walker]

Really shocking news

 

[❤ ❤ ❤Jalebi❤ ❤ ❤]

Hun punjab ch vi eh sab shuru hogea

 

[Era]

Its really bad..main swere newz dekhi c...bot firing ho rai.....just like on border but in civilian area

 

[Jaswinder Singh Baidwan]

11:19 Updates on the Gurdaspur attack.

-J&K on high alert.
-The national highway at Pathankot is closed.
-This appears to be a fidayeen attack.
-The terrorists are still holed up at the spot.
-Special forces have been called in.
11:12 Gurdaspur terror attack: PM to hold high-level meeting shortly : Prime Minister Narendra Modi is shortly set to meet top ministers and Union Home Secretary LC Goyal regarding the Gurdaspur terror attack. Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju had earlier said that no hostage situation in the Gurdaspur attack has been reported so far. "The attack is serious. I can't give any details as the operation is still going on. No hostage situation has been reported so far," he said.


Meanwhile, army units have reached the spot. Heavy exchange of gunfire has resumed between security forces and terrorists. One militant has been killed while a Punjab Special Service Group (SSG) jawan has sustained injuries in the ongoing operations.

The death toll in the attack has risen to eight, including six civilians and two home guards. Four civilians have also sustained injuries. The gun battle between the security forces and alleged terrorists ensued after the latter opened fire on the police station and a bus.


The home minister has ordered the Border Security Force to immediately move forces to Gurdaspur to assist the police. He also instructed the BSF to enhance vigil along the entire international border with Pakistan.

The timing of the attack, methodology & location are all eerily similar to attacks in the border belt of Jammu, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah tweeted.

Meanwhile, five live bombs, believed to have been planted by the terrorists before they went on a shooting spree, have been recovered on a railway track between Dinanagar and Pathankot.

 

[Jaswinder Singh Baidwan]

11:45 Panic spreads in Gurdaspur, residens stay indoors : Panic gripped Dina Nagar town here in Gurdaspur district following an attack on a bus and a police station complex by four heavily armed terrorists wearing army uniform here which left five persons, including a policeman, dead.


As the news of attack spread, people living near Dina Nagar police station were gripped by panic and largely remained indoors. Many switched on their TV sets to catch the latest updates on the situation.


"People are in a state of panic here after they came to know about the attack," said Jatinder Kumar, whose house is 500 metres away from the Dina Nagar police station.


Notably, Dina Nagar, about 25 km from Pathankot town, is the third largest town in Gurdaspur district.


"We can still listen to the sound of firing going on at police station between and security personnel and (suspected) militants," Jatinder told PTI over phone. Jatinder, who is an employee of Punjab Health Department, came to know about the incident at about 6:15 am through his friend who called him up and informed about the incident.


"Then I went upstairs of my house and heard sound of bullet firing," he said, adding, soon a heavy police force and then the Army arrived at the spot to take on the militants. Both Jatinder and his wife who works in Punjab's Internal Audit Department, have decided not to go to their offices in the wake of suspected terror attack.


"Our son who is a student of Class VIII has also not gone to school as district administration announced holiday in educational institutions," he said. Varinder Kumar Vikky, who is also resident of Dina Nagar said, "There is panic in the area as this is for the first time that this area witnessed such an attack."

 

[Jaswinder Singh Baidwan]

11:50 Situation is under control, says Rajnath Singh: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today expressed confidence about the ongoing operation against the terrorists in Gurdaspur district of Punjab and said that the situation is under control. "I am confident about the operation which is underway and the situation is under control," the home minister told reporters at the airport here before heading for Neemuch to attend the CRPF Raising Day Function.


Singh said he had spoken to Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal, the National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Director General of BSF and Union Home Secretary L C Goyal. The home minister, however, refused to give details of casualties.


"I have also instructed BSF to enhance vigil along the entire international border," he said, before leaving for Neemuch with Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.


When asked by a reporter whether the attack could be a reaction to the capital punishment awarded to Yakub Memon in 1993 Mumbai blasts case or it was a case of cross-border terrorism, Singh refused to comment. "The operation is going on and I won't say anything more than this at present," he said.


Four heavily armed terrorists wearing army uniform today went on a rampage in Gurdaspur district, attacking a bus, a health centre and a police station leaving five persons, including a policeman dead, and several injured.


Army has launched operation against the militants who are holed up in Dinanagar police station complex

 

[Jaswinder Singh Baidwan]

At least 12 persons, including an SP, were killed and 10 injured when heavily armed terrorists wearing army fatigues hijacked a car, drove down to Dinanagar town in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district, opened fire at a bus stand and then stormed a police station here.
Punjab Police SP Baljit Singh was said to be among those killed. Besides, six other policemen and three detainees at the police station were shot dead. Three civilians were also killed, including a person inside an adjoining hospital.
While the authorities had so far confirmed only five deaths, unconfirmed reports said the toll was 12.
Punjab Police DGP Sumedh Singh Saini was said to be supervising the operation, which had not been handed over to the Army. Special forces of the Army and NSG as well as Punjab Police commandos have taken up positions around Dinanagar police station.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh said he had spoken to D.K. Pathak, Director-General of the Border Security Force (BSF), and instructed him to step up the vigil on India-Pakistan border in the wake of the attack in Gurdaspur.
This was the first major terror attack in Punjab following the assassination of then Chief Minister Beant Singh on August 31, 1995.
Monday's attack began at 5.30 am at Dinanagar town in Punjab's frontier district of Gurdaspur, close to the India-Pakistan border and near the border with Jammu and Kashmir state.
A gun battle raged between the terrorists, holed up inside the Dinanagar police station, and security forces, including soldiers. Continuous sound of firing and grenades could be heard hours after the first shots were fired by the militants.
The police station, an adjoining government hospital, residential quarters inside the police station and nearby private houses were quickly cordoned off by security forces.
Minister of State for Home Kirren Rijiju told IANS in Delhi that "as of now there is no information regarding hostages being held. We are looking into it and once I get some more information, I will come out with it".
The terrorists, numbering four, are believed to have come from Pakistan. They arrived in a Maruti 800 car which they had hijacked after firing at the driver and killing a person at a ‘dhaba’ nearby. They also fired at people near Dinanagar bus stand and then attacked Dinanagar police station, located about 100 metres away.
Eyewitnesses said the terrorists fired on a bus going towards Jammu and later entered the police station.
"We were hit by a burst of gunfire suddenly. I was hit on the shoulder. They are firing indiscriminately every five minutes," a Punjab police official, who was injured in the attack, told media as he was being taken to the hospital.
The town is about 15 km from the India-Pakistan border and 25 km from the border of Jammu and Kashmir state. It is about 235 km from Chandigarh.
Additional Director-General of Punjab Police, Dinkar Gupta, told media the "attack took the Dinanagar police by surprised".
Army and police reinforcements were rushed to the spot.
Punjab Police sources said it may be a suicide attack.
The attack took place just a day after Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal faced pro-Khalistan slogans while attending a function at Panjab University in Patiala.
Rail tragedy averted
In a related development, five live bombs were found on the Amritsar-Pathankot railway track.
The bombs were found by passersby on a bridge near Parmanand railway station on the Amritsar-Pathankot railway section, who informed security forces. Trains on the route were stopped immediately.
A major railway tragedy was averted as the bombs had been carefully wired to the railway track at a small bridge near Parmanand railway station, 5km from Dinanagar. A police spokesman told media that the army bomb disposal unit had defused the bombs.
A train, which was to pass over the track, was stopped just 200 metres from the spot where the bombs had been planted.
State on alert
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal visited the injured in hospital, and said there was no threat to peace in Punjab. He will hold a meeting to review the situation in Chandigarh later in the day.
Condeming the terror attack, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday said all measures would be taken to maintain law and order and the safety of people in the state.
Sukhbir Badal, who is on a visit to Poland starting today, asked people to remain calm and maintain peace and harmony in the state, an official release said here. He said he was closely monitoring the situation and had asked the state police chief to personally visit the spot of the attack.
He said alert had also been sounded along the International Border.
The Deputy Chief Minister expressed sympathy with the bereaved families and said the state government would provide free medical treatment to the injured.
Sukhbir Badal is on an investment promotion trip to Poland and Hungary for five days, beginning Monday.

 

[Parv]

mada haal hai

 

[Jaswinder Singh Baidwan]

13:35 Woman militant in Gurdaspur attack?: @ani_news says injured security personnel say that there is a woman terrorist among the other attackers in the Gurdaspur terror attack.

 

[Jaswinder Singh Baidwan]

14:20 Two of three terrorists killed in Gurdaspur attack: Two of three terrorists killed in the Gurdaspur gun battle. Intermittent firing still on. One more to go. The death toll so far is six -- three civilians, three policemen from the Punjab force.

 

[Amrit Sangha]

Shocking news. Pakistan ne lagda marna aa.

 

[Royal Singh]

Ajj hi darbar sahib geya, ardaas kar rea c hope we all safe

 

[Jaswinder Singh Baidwan]

At least seven persons, including an SP, were killed and 18 injured when four heavily-armed terrorists wearing army fatigues hijacked a car in Dinanagar town in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district and reached a bus stand, where they opened fire before storming a police station in the town.
Punjab Police SP (Detective) Baljit Singh, posted at Gurdaspur, was said to be among those killed. Besides, three other policemen and three civilians were shot dead.
The bodies of two Home Guards could be seen on the rooftop of the police station. The three civilians killed were identified as Ghulam Rasool, Asha Rani and Amarjit Singh.
While the authorities have so far confirmed only seven deaths, unconfirmed reports have mentioned 12 deaths. The 18 injured included four policemen. Dinanagar police station SHO Mukhtiar Singh was among them.
After hours of intermittent exchange of fire with the terrorists, there were reports that the police and Army troops who had responded to the situation had stepped back from the police station as they suspected the terrorists had bombs tied around them. They were also suspected to be carrying sophisticated telescopic rifles.
Punjab Police DGP Sumedh Singh Saini, assisted by ADGP-Intelligence H S Dhillon, was supervising the operation, which had not been handed over to the Army. Special forces of the Army and NSG as well as Punjab Police commandos had taken up positions around Dinanagar police station, cordoning off the area.

 

[Jaswinder Singh Baidwan]

The sequence of events, according to the police:
- Around 5:30 am, four terrorists wearing Army uniforms and heavily armed attempted to snatch a ‘tempo’, but did not succeed.
- At a dhaba, they next snatch a Maruti 800 car belonging to Kamaljit Singh, a resident of Dinanagar, who was shot at and injured.
- They drive off and fire at Pathankot Depot bus (PB-06-G-9569), going from Bamial to Chandigarh, injuring three persons: Satish Kumar, Raman and Suresh Kumar.
- Passersby at the spot, Tarun Gehrotra, Upjeet Singh, Satish Kumar, Raman, Suresh Kumar, Sardari Lal, Sarbjit Singh and Jarnail Singh, also injured in the firing.
- Terrorists next enter Dinanagar police station and open heavy fire, in which SHO Mukhtiar Singh, Head Constable Ram Lal, and Home Guard Rajinder Kumar are injured. Two Home Guards jawans are also killed in the exchange of fire.
- Indiscriminate fire by terrorists at the police station also killed two persons, Gulam Rasool and Asha Rani, undergoing treatment at the adjoining Kiran Hospital.
This was the first major terror attack in Punjab following the assassination of then Chief Minister Beant Singh on August 31, 1995.
Sound of firing and grenades could be heard hours after the first shots were fired by the militants.
The police station, an adjoining government hospital, residential quarters inside the police station and nearby private houses were quickly cordoned off by security forces, including Army personnel.
Meanwhile, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said he had spoken to D.K. Pathak, Director-General of the Border Security Force (BSF), and instructed him to step up the vigil on India-Pakistan border in the wake of the attack in Gurdaspur.
Minister of State for Home Kirren Rijiju told IANS in Delhi that "as of now there is no information regarding hostages being held. We are looking into it and once I get some more information, I will come out with it".
The terrorists, numbering four, are believed to have come from Pakistan.
"We were hit by a burst of gunfire suddenly. I was hit on the shoulder. They are firing indiscriminately every five minutes," a Punjab police official, who was injured in the attack, told media as he was being taken to the hospital.
Dinanagar town is about 15 km from the India-Pakistan border and 25 km from the border of Jammu and Kashmir state. It is about 235 km from Chandigarh.
Additional Director-General of Punjab Police, Dinkar Gupta, told media the "attack took the Dinanagar police by surprise".
SP Baljit Singh, who was killed in the attack, hailed from Shahkot in Jalandhar. His family is currently living in Kapurthala. His father, Achhar Ram, who too was in the Punjab Police, had also died in an encounter.
Rail tragedy averted
In a related development, five live bombs were found on the Amritsar-Pathankot railway track.
The bombs were found by passersby on a bridge near Parmanand railway station on the Amritsar-Pathankot railway section, who informed security forces. Trains on the route were stopped immediately.
A major railway tragedy was averted as the bombs had been carefully wired to the railway track at a small bridge near Parmanand railway station, 5km from Dinanagar. A police spokesman told media that the army bomb disposal unit had defused the bombs.
A train, which was to pass over the track, was stopped just 200 metres from the spot where the bombs had been planted.

 

[chief]

thank you armed forces

 

[jass_wraich]

bahut buri gal a vaise .. PUnjab police ne kam sire lata ..

and for those jihna ne apne gawahe . ohna lai ta ah kala din a

 

[♛Princess]

sad