A Village Defence Guard (VDG) member Mohammad Sharif was killed while fighting terrorists in the Basantgarh area of Udhampur district, which falls in Jammu and Kashmir, early on Sunday, April 28, police officials have said.
Additional Director General of Police, Jammu zone, Anand Jain, who rushed to the area to supervise the anti-terrorist operation, said a massive search operation was continuing to track down and neutralise the terrorists who had infiltrated from Pakistan.
The ADGP said two groups of terrorists were believed to be present in the area after they recently infiltrated from across the border.
Jain led the wreath laying ceremony of slain VDG member Mohd Sharief at Basantgarh police station this evening and saluted his supreme sacrifice for the nation.
Deputy Inspector General of Police, Udhampur-Reasi range, Rayees Mohd Bhat and other officers from police and CRPF also paid floral tributes to the martyr.
“We got information about the presence of terrorists (in Panara village of Basantgarh) late Saturday night and activated police and VDG members. Because the information was not pin-pointed and we have a vast jungle area, the area domination patrols were launched,” Jain told reporters after Sharief's body was sent home to his village Khaned for last rites.
He said one of the parties came under fire while moving towards Chochru Gala heights around 7:45 am and in the ensuing encounter, the VDG member laid down his life.
Reinforcements from police, CRPF and Army were rushed and the whole area was cordoned off to track down the terrorists and neutralise them, the officer said.
Officials said the army made two helicopter sorties to drop para-commandos deep inside the dense forest to eliminate the terrorists.
The ADGP said two groups of terrorists are believed to be present in the area after they recently infiltrated from across the border.
Where the terrorists had infiltrated from was being investigated, which was continuing, but it was certain that the group was a freshly infiltrated one,” he said when asked about possible infiltration of the terrorists through the International Border from adjoining Kathua district.
He said the strength of the two groups, as per preliminary investigation, is between four and six but their affiliation is not known immediately. “We are working on various inputs and the area is being sanitized to hunt them down with deployment of additional forces.” Earlier, official sources said there was information about movement of two separate groups of terrorists, who infiltrated recently, from Kathua to Basantgarh.
One of the groups with five members was confronted, while there was no trace of the other group, which has four members and whose movement was last reported in the Machedi top area bordering Kathua, they said.
Sources said the terrorists could have infiltrated through the International Border from Kathua district and were heading to Kashmir via Chenab valley, taking advantage of the thick forest.
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