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The article reports on a tragic incident in the Chatroo area of Kishtwar district, Jammu and Kashmir, where a gunbattle between security forces and terrorists resulted in the deaths of two Army personnel and injuries to two others. The incident occurred just a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's scheduled visit to the neighboring Doda district, highlighting the security challenges faced in the region ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.
The White Knight Corps, responsible for the area, described the operation as 'Op Shahpurshal' and revealed that the joint operation with Jammu and Kashmir Police was initiated following intelligence inputs. Contact with terrorists was established at 3:30 pm, and the operation was declared ongoing. Police reports indicate that the exchange of fire took place in the Pingnal Dugadda forest area, with two to three terrorists believed to be hiding in the forests. Reinforcements have been deployed to the site.
The incident comes in the wake of another encounter just two days prior, where security forces and police killed two terrorists in the Khandara Top area of Basantgarh in Udhampur district. The recent string of attacks in the region has raised concerns, with nearly a dozen casualties, including two Army captains and seven soldiers, in the past two months. The security situation in the lead-up to the Assembly elections is therefore a major concern.
In light of the upcoming elections, Kishtwar, Doda, and Ramban districts, which form part of the Chenab Valley region, are under heightened security. Additional security forces have been deployed to secure inhabited areas and polling stations, while the Army and police are conducting seek-and-destroy operations in the forest areas. The article notes that PM Modi's visit to Doda town, where he will address an election rally, will be the first by a serving Prime Minister in decades, signaling the significance of the region in the electoral landscape.
The Chenab Valley region is scheduled to vote in the first phase of the Assembly elections on September 18, along with some constituencies in South Kashmir. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is hoping to replicate its success in the 2014 elections, where it won four out of six Assembly constituencies in the region. With the delimitation of Assembly constituencies in 2022, two new constituencies – Doda West and Padder-Nagseni – have been added, increasing the total number of constituencies in the region to eight. The article highlights the strategic importance of the Chenab Valley in the upcoming elections and the security challenges associated with it.
Source: 2 soldiers killed, 2 injured in Kishtwar firefight; polls there due in five days