Forces had actionable intel of Pulwama-style attack on Dec 31
NEW DELHI: A day prior to the Lethpora attack, the Jammu and Kashmir police shared “specific and actionable” intelligence with senior CRPF officials about an impending attack by terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) operatives carrying armourpiercing bullets.
Five personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) died in the attack that went on for 36 hours in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district.
“Muneer Khan, Inspector General (Kashmir Range) of Jammu and Kashmir police shared with his counterpart in the CRPF in Srinagar, Ravideep Sahi, (details of ) the imminent attack on Lethpora,” a senior Jammu and Kashmir police official said on the condition of anonymity. “Intel was very specific about the Lethpora camp being the target of Jaish-e-Mohammad operatives and the attack was supposed to begin on December 31 at 1am. The attack actually began at 2.15am,” he added.
The official said that prior to this, India’s external intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) also shared intelligence with the CRPF that the residences of its two Inspectors General in Srinagar might by attacked by Jaish-eMohammad terrorists.
“Yes, there was an intelligence input that was shared ‘locally’ by the Jammu and Kashmir police with regard to Lethpora camp. After getting the inputs, we had taken adequate measures to secure the camp and that’s why we managed to kill one of the attackers in the outer cordon itself,” said CRPF chief RR Bhatnagar.
The Lethpora camp houses the Pre-Induction Training Centre and the 185 battalion headquarters of CRPF. It is spread over 131 acres and has a perimeter of around 4.5kms. The perimeter wall outside the camp is still not complete and has been covered concertina wire. CRPF officials admitted it is poorly guarded.
“After getting the inputs, night patrols were activated and even a J&K DSP was on patrol with us,” said Bhatnagar.