Two Police Officers Shot Dead in Gurdaspur Outpost Near Pakistan Border
In a shocking incident, two policemen were shot dead by unidentified assailants inside a police outpost in Adhian village of Punjab's Gurdaspur district. The location is barely a kilometre from the Pakistan border, heightening security alarms in this sensitive region.
Gruesome Discovery and Investigation Details
The killings came to light early Thursday morning when Banarasi Das, the Dorangala Station House Officer (SHO), called Kamaljit Singh, the sarpanch of Adhian village, after repeatedly failing to reach the two policemen on phone. Kamaljit described the chilling scene upon arriving at the police post around 8 am.
"The ASI seemed to be 'sitting' upright on a chair with both hands in his pockets, and the home guard was 'lying' under a quilt on the cot. At first glance, nothing looked unusual. But a closer look told a completely different story," he recounted. He immediately alerted the SHO, who rushed to the spot with his team, followed by senior police officers.
Sources revealed that six spent casings were found at the scene. Both victims were in their early 50s. The village is approximately 250 km from Chandigarh and 15 km from the district headquarters. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem to Gurdaspur Civil Hospital.
Claim of Responsibility and Security Concerns
On Sunday evening, posters attributed to an obscure outfit calling itself Tehreek-e-Taliban Hindustan (TTH) surfaced on social media, claiming responsibility for the murders. The posts, in Hindi and English, featured an emblem, a flag, and images of the two policemen, suggesting an attempt to reach a wider audience.
SSP Gurdaspur Aditya stated that TTH was an "unfamiliar organisation" until now, and police are probing all angles, including verifying the claim's authenticity. DIG Border Range Sandeep Goel added, "We are looking into the crime from all possible angles, including potential terror and gangster links." He expressed hope that the case would be cracked soon, noting that police have vital clues.
Security Lapses and Historical Context
The sarpanch disclosed that CCTV cameras installed on the road leading to the police post had not been working for quite some time, highlighting a significant security lapse. Police have sealed the entire area, with forensic teams examining the site and multiple units scanning angles from gangster involvement to possible terror or cross-border links.
Gurdaspur and Pathankot districts are regarded as highly sensitive due to a history of terror attacks. On July 27, 2015, Pakistan-based terrorists targeted Dinanagar police station in Gurdaspur, and on January 1, 2016, a similar strike occurred at Pathankot Air Force Base. In both cases, terrorists were suspected to have infiltrated through the international border in Gurdaspur district.
In recent months, sources report multiple sightings of 'suspicious persons' in various parts of Pathankot district, further compounding security worries in this volatile border belt.
