Survivor says terrorists spoke of avenging Afzal Guru’s death

THE TERRORISTS, WHO WERE ARMED WITH ASSAULT RIFLES AND GRENADES, ALSO CARRIED A GPS NAVIGATION SYSTEM

CHANDIGARH/PATHANKOT: Despite having his throat slit, Gurdaspur resident Rajesh Verma was lucky to have survived an onslaught from terrorists who abandoned him, thinking he was dead.

Now admitted in a private hospital, Verma told HT that the attack on the Indian Air Force was the handiwork of four heavily-armed and well-equipped terrorists in army uniforms.

Soon after he was abducted, the terrorists told Verma that they were going to attack the Air Force base to avenge the hanging of their colleague Afzal Guru.

The terrorists, who were armed with assault rifles and grenades, also carried a GPS navigation system and had a clear idea about the location of the base.

In an exclusive interview to HT, Verma said, “As it was new year’s eve, my friend SP Salwinder Singh suggested that I come along and pay obeisance at the ‘mazaar’ of a saint in Kolian village in Narot Jaimal Singh block, close to the border. As we were coming back, four men in army uniforms signalled our car to stop. As we stopped, they overpowered us and barged into the vehicle, then tied all of us with ropes and clothes.”

As the terrorists conversed in Urdu, they also said that they would attack the Air Force Base

“You killed Afzal Guru and now we will take revenge,” they repeated while beating the abducted with rifles butts.

“As the car drove for around 30 kilometres, they dropped off the SP and an aged cook, but took me along. When we neared Tajpur village, from where they had intended to enter the base they slit my throat and left me for dead in the abandoned SUV,” Verma said.

“However, I managed to sur vive by controlling the blood with a cloth. Then I ran to a gurud wara from where I managed a phone and informed my relative who rushed me to the hospital,” Verma said. He said the terror ists were unaware that they had kidnapped a Punjab police officer