Jammu attack: Omar pulls up security establishment, report

The security establishment in Jammu and Kashmir was pulled up by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today for the "lapses" in containing the terror attack near Jammu after three terrorists had a free run for nearly an hour between the two strikes.
A detailed report on the 'fidayeen'(suicide) attack on a police station and a nearby army camp by terrorists yesterday ater they entered India from across the broder was, meanwhile, sent by the Union Home Ministry to officials accompanying Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Washington in the US.
The attack, in which 10 people including an Army Lieutenent Colonel was killed, is expected to be raised by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif in New York on September 29. The three terrorists were also killed in the encounter.

The security establishment drew flak from Omar for the "non-adherence" of Standard Operating Procedures (SoPs) in containing the audacious attacks.
Chairing a high-level meeting of Unified Headquarters in Jammu in the aftermath of the strikes in Kathua and Samba, Omar asked the police as to why no action was taken for nearly 40 minutes--the time gap between the first attack on police station in Hiranagar and the second strike on the Army camp located at Samba.
The Chief Minister pulled up the local police for failing to act and prevent casualties whereas the Army claimed that they ensured that the terrorists were not allowed to move out of the camp, official sources said.

According to the sources, Inspector General of Police (Jammu) Rajesh Kumar was informed about the attack briefly at 0705 hours who in turn immediately informed Himachal Pradesh's Yol-based General-officer-Command. Terrorists first stormed the police station at 6.45 am.

However, there was virtually no attempt made to stop the terrorists on the run -- which angered the Chief Minister who asked police as well as the Army to respond quickly in such situations. Kathua and Samba areas fall under the domain of IX Corps based in Himachal Pradesh.
Omar, while expressing deep sorrow over the loss of civil and police and army personnel in the attacks, stressed the need for further strengthening the surveillance and security measures to prevent such acts in future.

Omar, who flew into Jammu immediately after being informed about the terror strikes, was briefed at the meeting on the operations to combat the attack.
Top brass of Army, Security Forces, J&K Police and Civil Administration were present in the meeting.
"We have sent the report on terror attacks in Jammu to officials accompanying the Prime Minister," a senior Home Ministry official said in New Delhi.