Baramulla: The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Monday claimed to have averted a major attack as security forces detected an explosive planted by suspected militants on a national highway in north Kashmir’s Palhallan here.
Officials said that a suspicious bag was found along the Srinagar-Baramulla National Highway near a private school in Palpora village. Subsequently, a joint team of police, 29 Rashtriya Rifles of the Army, CRPF, and Sashastra Seema Bal rushed to the spot, and an improvised explosive device (IED) was detected, which was later diffused by the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) without any harm, they said.
“The area was immediately cordoned off while the traffic and public movement were suspended. Soon a bomb disposal squad was called to the spot that later on destroyed the IED without any damage or injury,” said a senior official.
The police reported that the prompt recovery of the improvised device prevented a significant untoward incident. “We have secured the area and restored the traffic on the highway,” a senior official said.
Meanwhile, Police Station Pattan has registered a case in the incident and started the investigation. The highway where the IED was found is a major route used by the Army convoys to reach forward posts of the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri and Kupwara.
The incident comes amid a surge in militant attacks in Jammu and Kashmir ever since the elected government assumed power in the UT. The senior officials recently claimed that they have beefed up the security in the valley amid the possibility of insurgency. In October, a senior BSF officer said that around 150 militants were waiting at launchpads across the LoC to infiltrate into the Kashmir Valley as winter approaches. However, he was quick to add that security forces are capable of foiling any such attempt.
