Dinanagar police station gets curious visitors

The police station in this north Punjab town continues to be the focus of attention of different government agencies and political leaders alike - as also the curious onlookers - in the wake of a daring early morning attack by three terrorists.

Dinanagar town, 16 km from Gurdaspur and 27 km from Pathankot, is back to business as usual, though one finds many people stopping on the road in front of the police station to see for themselves the battleground where the three heavily armed terrorists dressed in army fatigues and the security forces exchanged gunfire for around 11 hours on Monday.

"The town's people never expected anything of this sort would happen. Everyone was caught unawares. Most people are talking as to why their town was chosen by terrorists for such an attack. All civilian victims were common, poor people. We pray that nothing of this sort happens again," local resident Kamal, who was witness to the unfolding of the terror attack near the police station complex, told IANS.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal visited the police station on Wednesday, accompanied by senior police officers.

He was shown all the places where the terrorists struck and were later engaged in a gun battle by Punjab Police special forces.

The functioning of the police station, which was cordoned off on Monday, is slowly limping back to normal even as some buildings show tell-tale marks of the intense gunfight and lobbing of grenades.

The police station complex was on Tuesday scanned by forensic experts and security personnel to look for clues.

"The police station is functioning now, though the building where the terrorists were holed up has been damaged," police official Rajinder Singh said.

The police station complex was visited by several political leaders, including former chief minister Amarinder Singh, and Punjab director general of police (DGP) Sumedh Singh Saini and other senior police officers.

Of the 10-odd people injured, some were discharged after treatment in local hospitals while others are admitted to hospitals in Gurdaspur and Amritsar.

Meanwhile, from Chief Minister Badal to different opposition leaders, everyone is making a beeline for the homes of those who lost their lives in the terror attack.

Seven people, including an SP-rank police officer, three home guard personnel and three civilians lost their lives in the attack.