The death toll in the deadliest attack on government forces in Jammu and Kashmir mounted to 49 on Friday as four wounded paramilitary men succumbed to their injuries at army’s 92 base hospital Badamibagh Srinagar.

Official sources told GNS that bodies of 40 of the slain were identified while body parts of nine others were collected together and would be sent to their native villages after confirmation.

They said that 37 bodies were sent in one go while three others were sent later. Home Minister Rajnath Singh attended wreath laying ceremony of the 37 CRPF personnel. He also shouldered coffin of one among the slain.

Nine of the slain CRPF men, they said, are beyond identification and now DNA test would be conducted to identify their body parts.

“The nine personnel are known but their body parts are not differentiable and now DNA tests are being done,” the officials said, adding, “the samples have been taken and would be matched with their relatives.”

CRPF spokesperson Ashish Kumar Jha told GNS that bodies of forty personnel have been sent to their respective villages for last rites.

Asked about the DNA sampling and missing personnel, the spokesman refused to comment and dropped the phone.

On Friday, a team of NIA visited the scene of the attack and thoroughly searched the area and collected samples for forensic investigations. “The nature of explosive used and quantity used would be revealed during investigations,” he said.

The attack took place along Jammu-Srinagar highway when a suicide bomber rammed his explosive-laden car into a CRPF convoy in Lethpora area at around 3:15 p.m. yesterday. Sources said that ithe ntensity of the blast was such that its sound was heard around 10 kilometers away.

JeM militant outfit had claimed the responsibility for the attack and identified the bomber as Adil Ahmad Dar alias Waqas Commando and he is also believed to be killed even though there was no official confirmation in this regard so far.

Following the blast, the traffic on the Srinagar-Jammu highway came to standstill and when the reports last came in, the road was still closed. A police official said that the traffic continued to be diverted through Galander area.

A police officer had said forensic experts of have taken samples even as investigations have been set into motion. The officer also confirmed that yesterday’s attack was the deadliest in the 30 years of insurgency. “Even though there were major attacks in the past also like Badamibagh and assembly but this is the first attack in which there have been such a number of causalities,” the officer had said.

Regarding the vehicle, the officer said that it seems to be a Scorpio or jeep. “Investigations are underway in this regard,” the officer had said. (GNS)

Srinagar, Feb 15 : On a wintry February 14 afternoon, a CRPF convoy moving on Srinagar-Jammu Highway reached Awantipora town in southern Kashmir, a suicide (Fidayeen) car bomber blew up himself by ramming into the two CRPF buses leaving around 49 dead and dozens others injured critically.
Soon after the incident militant outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad claimed the responsibility and identified the car bomber a local youth of Pulwama, who had joined the outfit last year.
Like earlier attacks on forces, this brutal attack has left the security establishment shocked and guessing. The J&K governor admitted the mistake and termed it a major “security lapse and intelligence failure”.
“We are working out on the things about the loopholes that took a massive toll on forces. Where did we fail in protecting forces while they travel in convoys on the highway?” said a top officer in J&K police dealing with security wing.
Militants carry out their assaults despite deployment of CRPF, police and Army on the connecting points on the highway.
However, the attack on the government forces on Srinagar-Jammu highway is not the first, but this one is the most deadly in the last three decades ever since armed militancy broke out in Kashmir.
The security agencies and the NIA team investigating the attack have raised some key points as to why the attack yet again took place between Pampore and Awantipora stretch of the highway.
Two years ago, in June, militants daringly stopped CRPF bus on the same highway in the Pampore town, few miles away from this blast site, and rained it with bullets from different directions, killing eight CRPF men and injuring 22 others.
Earlier, three militants suddenly appeared on the highway near EDI building, fired on a CRPF bus, wounding 11 personnel and then rushed into the EDI building.
The frequent attacks on the highway are a reminder of deadly attacks on forces carried out by militants in the conflict-torn Kashmir after the insurgency began in 1987.
In 2014, two days before August 15-India’s Independence Day, militants again attacked a police party resulting in killing of two security guards of a police official and a civilian.
In the same year, hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s second visit to J&K, militants ambushed BSF convoy at Kadlabal in Pampore town leaving eight men including assistant commandant seriously injured.
In July 2012, militants attacked Convoy Protection Force Party of army from a close range killing a soldier and injuring another one seriously.
Almost 10 years ago, in Dec 2006, militants attacked a police party in Kadlibal and killed SHO Manzoor Ahmed and injured his two security guards. A civilian was also killed in the attack.
Why the Highway has become a deathtrap for army?
Officials in police and other counterinsurgency said that militants have many reasons to choose this 20 kilometer stretch for their assaults. “One of the reasons is that the Highway along the Pampore town has a number of link roads connecting on it with internal areas. Two, the Highway sneaks along the Jhelum River,” they said.
Timeline:
14 Feb 2019: 49 CRPF persons killed, dozens injured in a suicide car bomb attack.
17 Dec 2016: Three army men killed and two others injured after militants attack an army convoy.
25 June 2016: Eight paramilitary CRPF personnel killed and 22 others were wounded in a militant attack.
22 Feb 2016: Three army commandoes including two captains, two CRPF men and a civilian were killed in militant attack in EDI.
8 Dec 2015: Two militants killed in shootout near EDI in Pampore
13 August 2014: A civilian and two policemen killed when militants attacked a police party in Galandar.
11 August 2014: Seven Border Security Forces (BSF) personnel including an assistant commandant were injured when gunmen attacked their convoy.
July 7, 2012: One army man killed another one injured when militants attached a convoy.
Dec 30, 2006: SHO Pampore was killed and his guard injured in a militant attack in Pampore. (KNS) 

Srinagar, Feb 15 : Urging people of Jammu and Kashmir and the rest of India to maintain peace and communal brotherhood, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said that New Delhi will not tolerate militancy and will eliminate the “terror” soon. He also said that there were some elements in Kashmir who are “paid agents” of ISI backed by Pakistan and that such elements will be dealt sternly.

Addressing press conference at the old airport here after chairing a review meeting at RTC Humhama, Singh said that peace is the first priority of the GoI. “We will not tolerate the terror backed by Pakistan and ISI. We will eliminate the terror,” the home minister said. He, however, refused to take questions.

 Singh said that he chaired a review meeting and directed the officers of the police, army and the CRPF that the convoy movement should get the safe passage and while during the convoy movement.

“Here, civilians have to cooperate with the forces. Civilian vehicles will be halted till convoy passes,” said Singh, who was flanked by the home secretary Rajiv Gauba, Governor Satya Pal Malik, his advisor K Vijay Kumar and chief secretary BVR Subramanyam.

Singh said that entire nation was proud of the slain CRPF men and the J&K people too have condemned “the dastardly act.”    The union home minister also said that he will sternly deal with some elements in Kashmir who are “the paid agents of ISI and Pakistan.”

Asked about Jammu arson, Singh said that he has asked the State admin to deal with the situation and to take stern action against those trying to disrupt peace and damaging the communal fabric. Union home minister also visited army’s 92 base hospital to inquire about the nature of injuries and treatment being provided to the injured CRPF men. He also visited RTC Humhama where he shouldered the coffin of one of the slain CRPF man.