Joint operation to search militants ends in Punjab

GURDASPUR - A joint search operation, launched by the Border Security Force (BSF) and Punjab Police in the Bhamial sector of this border district to look for militants after a gun battle, ended here Wednesday, officials said.

The joint operation was initiated after two Pakistan-based militants and two Punjab policemen were killed in a fierce gun battle early Sunday near the India-Pakistan border in the district.

The incident took place near Norat Jaimal Singh area of Gurdaspur. The area is close to Punjab\’s border with Jammu and Kashmir.

The operation was carried out in scores of border villages as the security forces suspected that around 8-10 militants had entered the sector and were hiding in the villages.

\”We suspected that some more militants had entered the area and were hiding here. Therefore, we launched an extensive search operation in association with the Punjab Police,\” Jagir Singh, deputy inspector general of Punjab range BSF, told IANS.

He added: \”The joint operation ended this (Wednesday) evening. Things are normal in this area and no untoward incident was reported during our search exercise.\”

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had announced a relief of Rs.10 lakh each for the kin of head constable Narinder Singh and constable Surinder Singh who were killed in the gun battle Sunday.

The Bhamial sector is the same area where rockets were fired from the Pakistan side and over 10 metres of the barbed wire fencing inside the Indian territory was blown up near the international border April 19.

Incidents of rockets being fired from the Pakistan side and gun fire have increased in the Amritsar and Gurdaspur districts of Punjab in recent months. Such incidents took place in July and September last year (Attari border belt in Amritsar district) and again in January (Attari border) and in Gurdaspur\’s Bhamial sector this year.