Dec 27 attack: 5 more bodies recovered
SRINAGAR, Dec 29 — Death toll in the attack on the SOG headquarters here has gone up to 14, including nine police personnel, two CRPF men and three militants.

Jammu Srinagar

Is the police trained for emergencies?
JAMMU, Dec 29 — After the Badami Bagh cantonment operation in which the militants killed seven Army personnel, including a PRO of the Ministry of Defence, the storming of the SOG headquarters in Srinagar was the most daring act by the rebels.

Militant outfits condemn hijacking
From M.L. Kak
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Dec 29 — The positive role being played by Taliban government of Afghanistan in resolving the crisis related to the hijacking of an Indian Airlines plane has encouraged several separatist and militant outfits in Kashmir to condemn the incident. The All-Party Hurriyat Conference, the Jehad Council, a constituent of several top militant outfits, the Hizbul Mujahideen and the Harkatul Mujahideen have openly expressed their chagrin over the incident.

During the past six days a majority of people have remained glued to the television and radio sets to monitor developments in Kandahar despite the fact that they have been slightly indifferent towards the incident. A section of people in the valley has started being influenced by reports emanating from Islamabad that Indian intelligence agency RAW is behind the "hijacking drama".

People in the city were seen more interested in the resolution of the hijacking crisis than in the lifting of the siege at the SOG headquarters. This, according to a cross section of people, was the result of fears among the Kashmiris that the hijacking of the plane may culminate in another Indo-Pak war as was the case in 1971.

Inside reports indicate that a number of people believe that the crisis may force New Delhi to resume talks with Islamabad for resolving the Kashmir issue. On the whole, an average Kashmiri seems to be keen in seeing the 150 passengers on board the hijacked plane free and safe. There has neither been any excitement or euphoria over the hijacking of the plane in the Kashmir as one would have expected.

The 10-year-long Pak-sponsored insurgency has ostensibly sapped the patience and peace of six million people of the valley and as such they are not prepared to witness another spell of trauma in case the hijacking incident resulted in an Indo-Pak armed conflict. The change is the result of foreign mercenaries having dominated the show. There is growing feeling of dismay and dejection among people in Kashmir over the what is called foreign face of "terrorism" in the state.

It is the result of this dismay that the pictures of Osama bin Laden have not sprang up in drawing rooms of even Kashmiri separatist leaders. When political and religious revolution took place in Iran, several thousand families belonging to the Shia sect had adorned their rooms with the pictures of Ayatollah Khomeini, the Iranian spiritual leader. There was a time when many families had pictures of several political and military rulers of Pakistan hanging in their rooms.

The era has witnessed a change as people in Kashmir have suffered death and destruction during the past 10 years of insurgency. It is the result of the subversive violence that people have not demonstrated euphoria over the hijacking of the plane. A majority of people are for peace and friendly relations between India and Pakistan.

As far as the Jammu region is concerned, people are worked up over the hijacking incident. A number of political and public leaders interviewed were opposed to releasing a single militant. They are for safe return of all passengers on board the hijacked plane, but at the same time they were not ready to compromise on the nation's honour and security.

The ABVP was the first organisation that made its anger public when its activists burnt an effigy of Maulana Mohd Azhar Masood, whom the hijackers want to be released. These activists demanded execution of all foreign mercenaries in detention in the state.

The hijacking incident has placed additional burden on the state government functionaries as security arrangements in and around various jails had to be strengthened not only to prevent the jailed militants from breaking the prison cells but foiling any attempt by the nationalists to attack the jails to harm the foreign mercenaries.

The state government has been facing a lot of problem on account of paucity of security forces after the Centre refused to send additional battalions of paramilitary forces. The hijacking incident had forced the government to overstretch its forces, including the police. A senior police officer said cops were having hardly two to three hours' rest since the hijacking incident.

A number of parents interviewed said that their children had been spending more time on watching television to follow the hijacking drama.

Dec 27 attack: 5 more bodies recovered
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, Dec 29 — Death toll in the attack on the SOG headquarters here has gone up to 14, including nine police personnel, two CRPF men and three militants.

According to the police here, the operation was concluded this afternoon with the recovery of five more bodies from the debris. The bodies of three militants, whose identity is yet to be ascertained, were recovered today. The search to look for more bodies was started in the morning. The police suspects the involvement of foreign militants in the attack.

The Harkat-ul_Mujahideen has already claimed the responsibility for the attack.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah took stock of the situation soon after his arrival here this morning. Accompanied by Director General Police, Gurbachan Jagat and senior civil and police officials, he visited the spot.

A police spokesman stated here this evening that nine police personnel, including a Deputy Superintendent, two jawans of the CRPF and three militants were killed.

The militants had attacked the SOG headquarters on Monday evening. Soon after the attack the state police personnel assisted by the CRPF, BSF and the Army engaged the militants in a night-long gunbattle.

The militants, after taking positions inside the complex, held hostage scores of police and CRPF personnel posted at the headquarters.

The vehicular and pedestrian traffic remained suspended for the second consecutive day today on the Indira Gandhi Airport road to facilitate the clearing operations at the SOG complex.

Is the police trained for emergencies?
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Dec 29 — After the Badami Bagh cantonment operation in which the militants killed seven Army personnel, including a PRO of the Ministry of Defence, the storming of the SOG headquarters in Srinagar was the most daring act by the rebels.

For full two days some militants laid siege on the SOG headquarters which was guarded by one company of the CRPF and 30 men of the SOG were inside the building. No doubt the militants came in police uniform, causing confusion to the CRPF personnel on guard, but the events that led to the siege of the complex clearly demonstrated that the men on duty were not fully trained and prepared to meet an eventuality of the type that was witnessed on Monday.

Official sources are of the view that the security of the SOG complex had been entrusted to the CRPF because men of the SOG had the tailored job of carrying out operations against the militants which they had been doing with success during the past over two years. The result was that the SOG had earned laurels from the government but displeasure from the separatists.

A fortnight ago the militants had killed six policemen in Srinagar which had motivated the Director-General of Police, Mr Gurbachan Jagat, to sanction bullet-proof jackets and headgear to constables and other ranks on duty. Since the men of the SOG had become a dreaded force they had not an iota of fear that their headquarters would be stormed by the militants. Those who do not fully agree with the state government functionaries that the laxity on the part of the CRPF personnel led to the storming of the complex resulting in the killing of 10 security personnel and three militants, argue that it was also the duty of the SOG personnel to defend themselves if the CRPF men had been outwitted by the militants in police uniform. The CRPF guards had sought identity cards from the militants and within a fraction of a second the rebels opened fire and hurled a grenade which left two CRPF men dead allowing themselves to barge into the complex. There were 30 SOG men inside the building and they should have reacted immediately.

The militants managed to occupy the weaponry room, hold some SOG men as hostages, blew up a couple of police vehicles, including one bullet-proof gypsy, and that too when the entire headquarters had been cordoned off by the troops. This indicates that the various security agencies had hardly equipped themselves to meet an emergency.

Agreed that the militants confused the CRPF sentry with the police uniform they had worn, it confirmed earlier reports that there was hardly any check on the movement of militants. Senior police officers said after the BSF bunkers were removed from various areas, militants, especially foreign mercenaries, managed to sneak into the summer capital.

In the absence of these check posts, the concentration of the militants had increased and encouraged them to carry out daring acts to demoralise the security forces. The attack on the SOG headquarters was said to be a part of the Pakistan plan of targetting police posts, stations and Army so that the offensive launched against the insurgents was diluted, with the police being demoralised.

After armed attacks on the Army posts in several parts of the Kashmir Valley, including Kupwara and Sumbal, the troops too have begun thinking twice before launching counter offensives. This was evident at the SOG headquarters where the troops refused to storm the complex as they feared heavy casualties. They argued with the police authorities that there was no other solution except blowing up the headquarters which they did after many SOG men jumped to safety from a couple of ventillators.

The Inspector-General of Police Dr A.K. Bhan, said a special team of senior police officers would review the security arrangements at each police post and station so that militants were not in a position to repeat SOG headqarters incident.

Re-establishment of security bunkers, deployment of additional battalions of paramilitary forces, equipping police with better weapons are the need of the hour in view of the reports that the militants may continue to target security posts and camps.

18 militants surrender in J&K

SRINAGAR, Dec 29 (PTI) — Eighteen militants associated with different pro-Pakistan militant outfits in Jammu and Kashmir laid down their arms last evening and vowed to fight militancy in the state.

While 17 militants gave themselves up before the Army authorities in Doda district of Jammu, another militant joined the national mainstream in frontier district of Kupwara in north Kashmir, an official spokesman said here today.

The militants handed over a big cache of arms and ammunition, including 16 AK assault rifles and two pistols, to the authorities, the spokesman said.

The surrender of militants in Doda district is considered as a "major success", the spokesman said.