Army orders probe into Ghati ‘goof-up’

Sources said in the past 13 years of counter-insurgency operations in the state, though escape by militants from security forces’ cordon was not new, this incident has perturbed the Army as the troops were unaware of it for three days and continued the siege.

Moreover, the operation supervised by Brig Atul Gupte had stretched too long even when militants were holed up inside a ravine with no civilians. Pointing out that it appeared to be messed up from the start, sources said while the troops remained deployed on ridges on three sides of the ravine, police and paramilitary forces had taken position on the fourth side along the Ujh tributary. However, no one moved inside the ravine until locals started suspecting that the militants might have fled. This was despite the fact that the militants fired on the troops from inside the ravine only during the first three days of the siege. Gupte had then said the prolonged operation was deliberate so as to avoid Army casualties.

Sources said the court of inquiry will probe as to why troops did not close in on militants when there was no firing from their side for four days. It will inquire as to how and from where the militants escaped when the ravine was cordoned off.

Some officers attribute the militants’ escape to a misunderstanding among the troops over the weapons used by the cops and paramilitary forces during the operation. A police officer recently said that not seeing any militant in the ravine even after three days, Army officials came under pressure, suspecting that the militants were dead and they had been exchanging fire with troops deployed on the side of Ujh tributary.

To ascertain whether militants were dead, they insisted the police and para-military forces shall not open fire. The SP, Kathua then brought all the weapons being used by the police and the para-military personnel for test fire before the Army officials, but the latter did not budge from their stand.

Finally, the SP sent a message to the cops and paramilitary personnel, asking them not to open fire under any circumstances. The militants appear to have intercepted the message and taking advantage of the situation, fled from the area.