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Terrorist Attack in Punjab's Gurdaspur district, Gunmen in Army Uniform Attack Police Station

Darpan News Desk IANS, 26 Jul, 2015 07:44 PM

At least five people were killed and 10 injured when heavily-armed terrorists wearing army fatigues hijacked a car, drove down to this town in Punjab's Gurdaspur district, peppered the bus stand with bullets and then stormed a police station -- shattering two decades of calm in the state.

Authorities said that five people were killed in the terror attack, while unconfirmed reports said the toll may be higher.

"So far reports of five deaths including three civilians and two police personnel confirmed from Gurudaspur. Operation is still on," tweeted Press Information Bureau in Delhi.

Three home guard personnel who were inside the police station were among those feared killed. Other victims were civilians, including a person inside an adjoining hospital.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that he had spoken to director general of Border Security Force (BSF) D.K. Pathak and instructed him to step up the vigil on India-Pakistan border in the wake of attack in Gurdaspur.

Special forces of the army and NSG as well as police commandos took up position around the Dinanagar police station.

This was the first major terror attack in Punjab following the assassination of then chief minister Beant Singh on August 31, 1995.

Monday's attack began at 5.30 a.m. at Dinanagar town in Punjab's frontier district of Gurdaspur, close to the India-Pakistan border and near the border with Jammu and Kashmir state.

A gun battle raged between the terrorists, holed up inside the Dinanagar police station, and security forces, including soldiers. Continuous sound of firing and lobbying of grenades could be heard even hours after the first shots were fired by the militants.

The police station, adjoining government hospital, residential quarters inside the police station and nearby private houses were quickly cordoned off by security forces.

Minister of state for home Kirren Rijiju told IANS in Delhi that "as of now there is no information regarding hostages being held. We are looking into it and once I get some more information, I will come out with it".

The terrorists, numbering four, are believed to have come from Pakistan. They arrived in a Maruti 800 car which they had hijacked after firing at the driver and killing a person in a dhaba nearby. They also fired at people near the Dinanagar bus stand and then attacked the Dinanagar police station, located about 100 metres away.

Eyewitnesses said the terrorists fired on a bus going towards Jammu and later entered the police station.

"We were hit by a burst of gunfire suddenly. I was hit on the shoulder. They are firing indiscriminately every five minutes," a Punjab police official, who was injured in the attack, told media as he was being taken to the hospital.

The town is about 15 km from the India-Pakistan border and 25 km from the border of Jammu and Kashmir state. It is about 235 km from Chandigarh.

Additional Director-General of Punjab Police, Dinkar Gupta, told media the "attack took the Dinanagar police by surprised".

Army and police reinforcements were rushed to the spot.

Punjab Police sources said the incident indicated may be a suicide attack.

The attack took place just a day after Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal faced pro-Khalistan slogans while attending a function at Punjab University in Patiala.

In a related development, five live bombs were found on the Amritsar-Pathankot railway track.

The bombs were found by passersby on a bridge near Parmanand railway station on the Amritsar-Pathankot railway section, who informed security forces. Trains on the route were stopped immediately.

A major railway tragedy was averted as the bombs were carefully wired to the railway track at a small bridge near Parmanand railway station, five km from Dinanagar. A police spokesman told media that the army bomb disposal unit had defused the bombs.

A train, which was to pass on the railway track, was stopped just 200 metres from the spot where the bombs had been planted.

UPDATES:

Punjab Police SP (detective) Baljeet Singh killed in Gurdaspur terror attack.
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 27, 2015

Militancy a national problem, not a state problem. National policy needed to tackle terrorism: Punjab CM Badal to ANI on Gurdaspur attack
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 27, 2015

Security tightened at the North Block after Gurdaspur terror incident. pic.twitter.com/tHPs23pDwr
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 27, 2015

FLASH: Alert sounded in Parliament premises, security forces at spot
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 27, 2015

Gurdaspur Update: Special Forces team has also reached the location which has been cordoned off.
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 27, 2015

Gurdaspur Update: Bomb disposal of explosives on railway track being presently tackled by Army.
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 27, 2015

Samba (J&K) on high alert after Gurdaspur incident. pic.twitter.com/RfbID9xbsP
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 27, 2015

All parties must come together to save Punjab, if Punjab disintegrates now it will be hard to revive it: MS Bitta on Gurdaspur incident
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 27, 2015

Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal is suffering from high fever, all offical engagements canceled. Docs have ordered bed rest
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 27, 2015

Ye humein shak tha ki Pak kuch gadbad karne ja rha hai, lekin exactly kahan ye malum nhi tha: Naresh Gujral, SAD pic.twitter.com/5ZLLkngD9e
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 27, 2015

Intelligence agencies can only warn abt border activity,they can’t tell abt exact spot & location: Naresh Gujral, SAD on Gurdaspur incident
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 27, 2015

Security forces at Gurdaspur terror attack site (visuals delayed by unspecified interval) https://t.co/JnCjFfofyN
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 27, 2015

Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Gurdaspur terror attack. https://t.co/yrWOjloaAm
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 27, 2015

Security forces at Gurdaspur terror attack site (All pictures deferred by 1 hour) pic.twitter.com/txLEm4sy8j
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 27, 2015

#BREAKING Punjab terror attack: 1 terrorist killed in anti-terror operations in Dinanagar, Gurdaspur district
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) July 27, 2015

We saw an injured man, the gunmen took his car and ran away: Punjab terror attack eyewitness https://t.co/SZTqTVV7Mc
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) July 27, 2015

Gurdaspur terror attack: Punjab SSG moves in to secure location (Pics time deferred by 20 minutes) pic.twitter.com/H8lupVlPOU
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 27, 2015

Encounter is still underway. Terrorists are holed up in an abandoned house:Kiren Rijiju, MoS MHA on Gurdaspur Terror Attack
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 27, 2015

A big challenge for Narendra Modi Govt, because they have to keep extra vigil on Punjab: Pratap Singh Bajwa, Cong pic.twitter.com/NGcTSQEdRr
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 27, 2015

6 civilians, 2 police home guards killed & 4 injured in Gurdaspur suspected terror attack; no reports of hostage.
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 27, 2015

UPDATE: Death toll of Gurdaspur suspected terror attack rises to 5 after 2 police home guards died during ops,Army takes charge of operation
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 27, 2015

Spot visuals of suspected terror attack in Dina Nagar, Gurdaspur (Punjab) pic.twitter.com/Zyn0b7v6JX
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 27, 2015

Suspected terror attack in Gurdaspur (Punjab): Army chopper at the spot to take stock of the situation.
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 27, 2015

3 killed & 4 injured in a suspected terror attack in Dina Nagar, Gurdaspur, (Punjab). (Spot visuals) pic.twitter.com/GMAoBGvLaP
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 27, 2015

Suspected terror attack in Gurdaspur: 5 live bombs recovered from Dina Nagar- Pathankot railway track (Spot Visuals) pic.twitter.com/hw9Jeopc2M
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 27, 2015

3 killed & 4 injured in suspected terror attack in Gurdaspur (Visuals of the car which was reportedly used by gunmen) pic.twitter.com/Z9rt54POxq
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 27, 2015

Police reinforcements were rushed to the spot and a counter-offensive by security forces was initiated.

Suspected terror attack in Gurdaspur (Punjab): Army unit reaches the attack site, Punjab SWAT rushes to spot, NSG team also moved.
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 27, 2015

UPDATE: 3 killed & 4 injured in suspected terror attack in Gurdaspur (Punjab), firing underway between police & militants
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 27, 2015

Suspected terror attack in Dina Nagar,Gurdaspur, gunmen opened fire on a bus & police station, firing underway pic.twitter.com/TShwKVqYDN
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 27, 2015

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