Gunmen wearing army uniform went on a rampage early Monday morning. They attacked a bus, a health centre and a police station, leaving five persons, including a policeman, dead and several injured in Gurdaspur district of Punjab.
The MHA has said that this attack is similar to the ones seen in Jammu and Kashmir. Gurdaspur is just about 10 km from the international border.
The Indian army has launched an operation against about five militants who are holed up in Dinanagar police station complex. The assailants also targeted a building where the families of police personnel reside and threw grenades.
Sequence of Events So Far
- According to police, the mayhem started at about 5 AM when the attackers first targeted a roadside eatery.
- They then took off in a car after killing a person who was sleeping near the Dinanagar bypass.
- They opened fire on a moving bus, in which four passengers were injured, they said.
- They also targeted a community health centre adjacent to the Dinanagar police station, in which a policeman and three civilians including a woman were killed.
- The gunmen entered the Dinanagar police station and opened fire on policemen there. Five policemen were seriously injured.
- They then targeted other part of the building where the families of police personnel reside.
Army Called in, Operation Ongoing
Army was called in from Pathankot and the whole area has been cordoned off.
- Quick Reaction Teams, bomb squads, heavy police including senior officers have also been deployed in the area.
- Two army helicopters were also pressed into service and a gunbattle was on when reports last came in.
- Though there were reports of a hostage situation, officials were tightlipped.
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