Among many other measures, the CRPF authorities have started enforcing the Standard operating procedures strictly to ensure the safety of jawans.
In the aftermath of Pulwama terror attack on a CRPF convoy along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway near Lethpora of Pulwama district on February 14, 2019, lot of hue and cry was raised over securing lives of jawans during transit.
It was not for the first time, the security forces were targeted by the terrorists but barbaric strike shook the conscience of the Nation as large number of coffins, wrapped in tricolour, was sent home across different states in one single day post Kargil war in 1999.
On that fateful day, 40 CRPF personnel had to sacrifice their lives after a suicide bomber rammed his four-wheeler in a CRPF convoy without facing any resistance. In a series of attacks, on security forces after the Pulwama strike, the terrorists failed to cause huge losses.
In vulnerable pockets along the route, our jawans raise temporary security checkpoints to allow smooth convoy movement and prevent mixing of private vehicles with the convoy buses/trucks.
Steps were taken to ensure the safety of jawans
Initially, several suggestions were made recommending tight security arrangements and providing better infrastructure facilities to jawans of central paramilitary forces during transit. Some talked about airlifting jawans to and fro from Jammu and Srinagar to ensure their safety while others recommended the introduction of mine-protected vehicles for transportation purposes to secure their lives.
Currently, CRPF is in the process of procuring these MPV’s and those available have been put to judicious use and already deployed on ground zero to protect jawans from suffering any injuries during street demonstrations/sporadic protests.
On an average 3000 security personnel move up and down the Jammu -Srinagar National Highway before joining duties or returning home. Shifting them on chartered flights, on a daily basis, entails a lot of expenditure and in the absence of any budgetary provisions, the same remained a non-starter from the very beginning.
To ensure the safety of jawans during transit, the CRPF authorities not only started enforcing the Standard operating procedures (SOP’s) strictly, they also beefed up their own defences to prevent a repeat of similar strikes anywhere in the region.
After the Pulwama attack, CRPF is sending compact convoys to Kashmir valley.
The CRPF convoy, targeted by the suicide bomber in Lethpora, was ferrying around 2500 jawans in 78 vehicles.
The CRPF authorities had allowed a large number of stranded jawans to embark on the journey after the highway was thrown open after remaining closed for six days.
The thrust is on equipping Road opening parties with latest gadgets which can detect the presence of IED and other explosive material along the convoy route.
From time to time, senior security officers have been issuing warnings to remain vigilant as IED threat looms large.
All the units deployed in the region have been equipped with separate Dog squads and bomb disposal units to help detect the threat in real-time.
To completely sanitise the 300 km long Jammu-Srinagar national highway, quick reaction teams have been deployed at vulnerable locations.
CRPF patrol parties keep moving up and down the National Highway and scan the area thoroughly utilising services of sniffer dogs.
In vulnerable pockets along the route, our jawans raise temporary security checkpoints to allow smooth convoy movement and prevent mixing of private vehicles with the convoy buses/trucks.
Three JeM terrorists, including mastermind Abdul Rasheed Ghazi, who had imparted training to suicide bomber Adil Ahmad Dar, were eliminated by the security forces in less than 100 hours of the Pulwama attack in Kashmir valley.
Challenges faced by security forces
Securing service lanes and cutouts on the national highway, linking village roads poses a major challenge to security forces.
35-km stretch between Bijbehera town to Pampore in south Kashmir is considered a death trap for security forces.
In recent years, militants have targeted security forces frequently on this segment, resulting in dozens of casualties to security forces.
Lashkar-e-Toiba, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen and Jaish-e- Mohammad cadre have a good network of overground workers (OGWs) in areas adjacent to the national highway. They use their houses as hideouts before targeting security forces.
JeM leadership eliminated
Immediately after the Pulwama attack, joint teams of security forces had launched a crackdown on Jaish-e- Mohammad leadership across Kashmir valley.
Three JeM terrorists, including mastermind Abdul Rasheed Ghazi, who had imparted training to suicide bomber Adil Ahmad Dar, were eliminated by the security forces in less than 100 hours of the Pulwama attack in Kashmir valley.
In less than three months after the Pulwama attack around two dozen, JeM terrorists were eliminated by the security forces.
Throughout the year, 160 terrorists were eliminated across the state giving an upper hand to security forces to establish their supremacy in South Kashmir, a hotbed of homegrown terrorists.
Since January 1, 2020, more than twenty terrorists have been eliminated by the joint teams of security forces in Counter-terrorist operations.
Chronology of attacks on security forces post Pulwama strike
On March 30, 2019, CRPF convoy was targeted using a fabricated car near Tether area of Banihal on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway.
On June 17, 2019, the terrorists attacked a mobile vehicle patrol of 44 Rashtriya Rifles (RR), with an improvised explosive device (IED) in Arihal area of Pulwama district. Two army personnel were killed in the attack.
Security forces have diffused IED’s in Rajouri and Poonch districts where terrorists had attempted to target movement of army convoys in the hinterland.
On January 31, 2020, when terrorists were being transported in a truck, they had dropped a ready to use IED near Nagrota to target security forces.
Note:
1. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of PGurus.
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we cannot make the transportation 100% fool proof. It is only a matter of time the enemy understands the precautions , studies them and looks for ways and means to find a footing to exploit. Now Rahul has been stating ” who has benefited” from these lapses. He has told in many words the Pulwama was created for the ruling party”s advantage.
If we take a leaf out of Rahul’s page than all the events that took place , right from assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, were Intelligence failures. This covers Chinese aggression , to 11/9 of Mumbai, to Assassination of Rajeev Gandhi and it benefited the ruling dispensation!!! Stupid concept. Only a fool like Rahul can get away with this crap.