ISLAMABAD: The Indian Army’s 46 Rashtriya Rifles camp in Kashmir’s Baramulla district was attacked by heavily-armed militants, wire agencies and TV channels reported on Sunday.
The camp is located in Janbazpora on the outskirts of the Baramulla city, 54 kms from the capital Srinagar.The attack began at 10.30pm, when the assailants tried to enter through a public park near the camp, but were stopped. They then took positions on the banks of the Jhelum river, the Baramulla police control room said.
A senior police officer said one BSF Jawan was killed in the attack. A source said there were reports from the site of the attack that two militants had also been killed. Reports said two soldiers were injured in the ongoing assault, and that about four-five militants were holed up. However, there is no official confirmation.
Sources said the militants could not breach the camp security. The Indian Army’s Northern Command claimed the situation was contained and under control.Inspector General of Police (Kashmir Range) Javeed Mujtaba Gilani confirmed two BSF soldiers had been injured. He said the firing had stopped and combing and search operations were on. According to an earlier report, police officer Mujtaba Gilani said it was not immediately known if the militants had tried to enter the camp.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday India had not attacked any country and neither was it hungry to grab anyone’s land, but its men had made the supreme sacrifices fighting for the national cause and others.His comments came in the backdrop of Pakistan’s constant calls for highlighting the Kashmir issue at the international fora.
“India has not attacked anyone. It is neither hungry for land. But in the two World Wars (in which India had no direct stake), 1.5 lakh Indian soldiers had laid down their lives,” Modisaid at the inauguration ceremony of the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra.
Modi said the Indian community abroad did not believe in indulging in politics or grabbing power in foreign lands. They, on the other hand, mingle with other communities by following the principle of social well-being.
He lamented that despite the great price, the country could not make the world realise the importance of its sacrifices. He said whenever he was abroad, he made it a point to visit the memorials for the Indian soldiers.
The Indian prime minister said that the Indian community could contribute to the cause. “They are like water. They change their colour and shape as per need,” he said.
Narendra Modi said there were countries where the Indian community was more powerful than the Indian missions and could help remove the “fear of unknown” amongst the people there towards India. While much was spoken about brain drain, if the strength of the Indian Diaspora was channelised, “we can convert it into ‘brain gain’,” he said.
Like dams channelise the energy of water to make electricity, a source is required to utilise the energy of the 2.45 crore strong Indian Diaspora to “light up India”, Modi said.He also commended the role of the Ministry of External Affairs in helping the people of Nepal in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake and pulling out Indians and other nationals from hotspots like Yemen.
Modi said the MEA had made a place for itself and the world now accepted India as a major contributor in extending humanitarian aid.Other countries, he said, now sought Indian help in pulling out their citizens from trouble spots. “Since India will definitely be evacuating its citizens, please help us pull out our people as well,” he quoted calls of helps from various nations as saying.
Modi also released a booklet carrying a series of protocols to be followed to get rid of diabetics through yoga.Speaking on the occasion, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra was not just an ordinary building but a memorial of the forefathers who had left India in search of work.
She said the Indian Diaspora had preserved Indian traditions, festivals and languages alive in foreign lands. “It is an image of the Indian community which keeps the head of India high abroad,” she said.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leaders Ambika Soni and Salman Khurshid visited the Valley and demanded an all-party meeting be convened to find ways to end the violence. “The present spate of violence in the valley is an outcome of extreme political ideology of the two ruling parties — BJP and PDP,” they said.