Reality check after Pathankot attack: Heightened security? Not here!

Ravi Krishnan Khajuria

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Tribune News Service

Lakhanpur/Kathua, January 17

A fortnight after the Pathankot airbase attack, things are back to square one, contrary to claims of security forces of heightened security along the 102-km Jammu-Pathankot national highway.

Vacant police check points (‘nakas’) except one, languid policemen washing their linen on police station premises and residents and serious police officials regretting the laidback attitude of the police were what this team found during a reality check on the 88-km Jammu-Lakhanpur road on Saturday morning.

The disturbing truth that came to the fore again was that the Kathua-Samba stretch of the Jammu-Pathankot national highway, which had been attacked by terrorists in the past, remained as ill-prepared as before.

Raj Kumar of Haria Chak said, “After the Pathankot attack, the Army set up ‘nakas’ at the Haria Chak bus stand and forest nursery. They put up ‘nakas’ around 9.30 pm and remained there till 6.30 or 7 am.”

Another village resident, Susheel Kumar, said, “Since the Dinanagar attack in July last year, it seems that Pakistan has shifted its focus to give an element of surprise. After Dinanagar, it was Pathankot. It seems that they are intruding from traditional routes like the Ravi and Ujh nullah, but are now attacking Punjab. Haria Chak, Kut Punnu and Bamiyal are their preferred routes.”

His friend Pankaj Singh of Jarai said security had been tightened during the night, but went into hibernation during the day. “You must have come across vacant police ‘nakas’ on the highway. I fail to understand why our police turn lethargic within days after an attack. Since 2013, there have been regular attacks via Haria Chak,” he said.

A senior police official who insisted on anonymity made startling disclosures. “Despite terror attacks on the Samba-Kathua stretch in the past, experienced counter-insurgency specialists of the Special Operations Group (SOG) have not been posted till date,” he said a senior police official.

The SOG is the counter-insurgency arm of the Jammu and Kashmir Police. Every time a terror attack took place in Kathua or Samba, its men and bullet-proof vehicles were rushed from Jammu, he said.

“SHOs at and in the vicinity of the highway in Kathua district largely do not have any experience of combating militants. There is routine deployment of three or four policemen. The rest are Special Police Officers, who are devoid of any professional training to take on battle-hardened militants,” said another officer when asked to elaborate “heightened security”.

“We do have the SOG in Kathua district. Between 18 and 20 men headed by a DSP are placed at Jandi, 6 km from Hiranagar. A majority of them do not have practical experience of combating militants,” he said.