Top security officials review security situation in J&K ahead of Shah’s visit

PTI, Oct 23, 2021, 9:11 AM IST

Jammu: Top officials of various security agencies participated in a high-level conference to review the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir ahead of Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s maiden visit to the Union Territory after the abrogation of Article 370 on Saturday.

The security review conference was chaired by General Officer Commanding (GOC) of 16 Corps Lt Gen M V Suchindra Kumar and was attended by senior police, paramilitary, army, and other officers, including Additional Director General of Police Mukesh Singh, they said.

The meeting at Nagrota on the outskirts of Jammu city on Friday came in the backdrop of the ongoing anti-terror operation in Poonch forests in which nine Army personnel have been killed, increasing use of drones by Pakistan to ferry weapons and explosives along the Line of Control, and attacks on security establishments in the region.

A Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) and four other security personnel laid down their lives in a fierce gunfight during the start of the counter-insurgency operation in the Surankote forest of Poonch on October 11.

Four other soldiers, including a JCO, lost their lives in another encounter in Nar Khas forest in Mendhar on October 14th evening after the security forces extended the cordon and search operation.

Meanwhile, BSF’s Additional Director General (ADG) of Western Command N S Jamwal on Friday reviewed the security situation at the International Border (IB). Jamwal visited sensitive border areas of Samba and Kathua and reviewed the operational preparedness of field formations at the border, PRO BSF, DIG S P S Sandhu said.

During his visit, he also interacted with BSF troops and appreciated the challenging operational duties being performed by them, Sandhu said. He was briefed by IG BSF Jammu Frontier D K Boora and the operational commanders with their domination plans. Jamwal instructed them to be alive to the recent situation and strengthen their border domination more vigorously.

His touring of other areas of Jammu, Arnia, and Akhnoor will continue for the next couple of days, DIG said.