Explosions at IAF station a 'terror attack', drones operated from close range: J&K police chief

Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Dilbag Singh on Sunday termed the drone strike at the Air Force station at Jammu airport a "terror attack" and said that the explosive-laden drones were operated by people near the attack site.

This is the first instance when drones have been used for a terror strike.

Two explosives-laden drones crashed into the high-security Indian Air Force station at Jammu airport in the intervening night of June 26-27.

Two IAF personnel were injured in the explosions that took place around 1.40 am within six minutes of each other. The first blast ripped off the roof of a single-storey building at the technical area of the airport manned by the IAF in Satwari area of the city. The second one was on the ground, the officials said.

Media quoted sources in security establishment as saying that it was unlikely the drones may have come from outside India as they could not have gone undetected given the distance between the Air Force Station and the International Border, which is 14 kms. The drone seems to have been operated from within Jammu city.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the National Security Guard (NSG) teams had rushed to the spot.

Speaking to media, Dilbag Singh confirmed that the payload was dropped using drones. He said the conspiracy might have been hatched across the border but those who executed it were present inside Indian territory.

While officials were investigating the blasts, Additional Director General Police (ADG) Jammu, Mukesh Singh told reporters that the police have arrested a militant near a mall in the jurisdiction of the Trikuta Nagar police station from whose possession an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) weighing 5 kgs has been recovered.

IAF chief Air Marshal RKS Bhadauria, who is in Bangladesh on an official visit since Saturday, spoke over telephone to the two IAF personnel who suffered minor injuries in the drone explosions. The two soldiers are under observation and are doing fine, IAF officials said.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who is on a three-day visit to Ladakh, also dialled up vice IAF chief Marshal HS Arora. A high-level IAF team including Air Force Vice Chief Air Marshal Arora and Western Air commander V.R. Chaudhary reached Jammu.

The J&K Police have lodged an FIR under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) in the case.

Jammu airport is a civil airport with the runway and the ATC (air traffic control) under the IAF. Jammu Airport director Pravat Ranjan Beuria told PTI that there was no disruption in flight operations due to the explosions. "Flights to and from Jammu airport are operating as per schedule," he said.

Two explosions, within a gap of five minutes, rocked the high-security technical area of Jammu airport in the early hours of Sunday, officials said. "There were reports of an explosion inside Air Force Station Jammu. There is no injury to any personnel or any damage to any equipment. The investigation is on and further details are awaited," a defence spokesperson said.

Security was stepped up, particularly in border districts of Pathankot and Gurdaspur, including near Indian Air Force base in Pathankot that saw the terror attack in January 2016, as well as nearby Mamoon Cantonment of the Indian Army.

India's international border with Pakistan falls in both the districts adjoining Jammu and Kashmir. Apart from Punjab Police, personnel of the Border Security Force and other security agencies have been put on alert.

Patrolling has been strengthened near sensitive areas in and around Pathankot and additional forces have been deployed, police said. "We are on our guard in view of the situation. Whenever there is an incident of this kind, maximum alert is sounded in neighbouring areas," Pathankot SSP Surendra Lamba told PTI over phone.

"We are checking vigorously our inter-state border movement. We have deployed additional forces also," he said, adding, specialised commandos and SWAT teams of Punjab Police are being deployed strategically. Checking of vehicles headed to Jammu and entering Pathankot from J-K side has been intensified, Lamba said.

Also, IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar today took a review meeting with various security forces including NSG, CRPF, BSF, CISF and Director Airport to discuss the security situation in the Valley and at the airport. DIG Central Kashmir Range and SSP Budgam were also present in the meeting.

(With agencies inputs)