Gurdaspur: In a major terror attack in Punjab's Gurdaspur district on Monday, seven policemen, three civilians have been killed as terrorists went on a rampage attacking a bus, a health centre and a police station.
Army and Punjab Police have launched an operation against the terrorists and one has been killed while four others are still holed up inside the police station in Dinanagar in the Gurdaspur district since 5 AM.
In a modus operandi similar to an attack in Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir in March 2015, all terrorists were dressed in Army uniforms. Gurdaspur borders Pakistan and has a heavy military presence.
The terrorists first attacked a shopkeeper, stole a Maruti Car and went to Dinanagar. They attacked a state roadways bus in which four passengers were injured. They also targeted a community health centre adjacent Dinanagar police station, in which a policeman and three civilians including a woman who were present in the premises were killed.
The gunmen then entered a nearby police station and opened fire killing some policemen inside the station. The assailants also targeted a building where the families of police personnel reside and threw grenades.
No terror group has taken responsibility for the attack.
Quick Reaction Teams, bomb squads, heavy police including senior officers have also been deployed in the area which lies close to the Indo-Pakistan border. Two Army helicopters were also pressed into the operation and a gunbattle is on.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that the situation is under control. "The operation is still going on in Gurdaspur. The government cannot give any figure so far. Forces have been deployed. I have spoken to Punjab Chief Minister, National Security Advisor and DG of Border Security Force. Border areas have been put on high alert," said Singh.
Refusing to give number of casualties in the attack, Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju said, "The attack is serious but there is no news of any hostage crisis. The residences there were old and deserted. It is too early to give the exact number of deaths as of now. Some people are admitted in the hospital too."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been briefed on the situation and he will take a call after a final report from the Home Ministry.
Simultaneously, five IEDs were also found on the Pathankot-Gurdaspur railway track and a major tragedy was averted as the train was stopped just 200 metres away from the bomb site. The bombs were carefully wired to the railway track at a small bridge near Parmanand railway station, five kms from Dinanagar.
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