Sumit Hakhoo

Tribune News Service

Jammu, February 10

Residents of the Sunjuwan area in Jammu were woken up by gunshot sounds and grenade blasts around 4:10 am today. They thought firecrackers were being burst somewhere.The pre-dawn attack by terrorists on an Army installation at Sunjuwan was not only surprising for locals, but there was also anger against the authorities over their failure to check the growing number of Rohingya settlements in the area.Eyewitnesses said they heard gunshots around 4.10 am. Initially, they thought someone was bursting firecrackers or it was a routine target practice at the camp.However, after they saw soldiers and policemen rushing towards the military camp on the Jammu-Pathankot national highway, they knew what had happened.“I was going towards Narwal Mandi. After a few minutes, we saw several police and Army vehicles on the road. We were stopped by soldiers and told about the attack. It is a disturbing trend that terrorists are frequently targeting Jammu,” said Bachan Singh, an eyewitness.Another local, Mohammad Aslam, said the police and paramilitary personnel had cordoned off the entire area. “There was a heavy exchange of gunfire between 8.30 am and 9 am. After that, we head intermittent fire,” said Aslam.As news about the attack on the Army camp spread, hundreds of people from the surrounding areas reached the spot. Several of them expressed concern over the rising number of Rohingyas and Bangladeshis settling in the area and other parts of the Jammu region.“Rohingyas are being brought into Jammu and given land. Hundreds of them are living near the Army camp. The administration should remove them as they are a security threat,” said Surinder Gupta, a local.The area has been overwhelmed by colonies of illegal settlers for over a decade. Despite demands by locals to deport them from Jammu and Kashmir, the government has failed to take any action.

Panic grips Jammu

Jammu: Fear and panic gripped the Jammu region on Saturday after the attack on the Sunjuwan Army camp. Educational institutes not only in and around Sunjuwan, but in other areas also were closed by the authorities. “It is time the Central government fights a decisive battle with Pakistan or similar attacks will keep taking place,” said Vikram Sharma, a resident of Sainik Colony. TNSAttacks in Jammu since 2003

• Jan 9, 2017: Terrorists attack GREF camp in the Akhnoor sector of Jammu. Three civilians killed
• Nov 29, 2016: Terrorists attack a military unit at Nagrota, killing seven soldiers
• August 5, 2015: Pakistani terrorists attack a BSF convoy near Samroli on the Jammu-Srinagar highway, killing two BSF men and injuring others
• March 21, 2015: Two militants killed in a fidayeen attack on an Army camp in Samba. A civilian, Major and an Army jawan injured
• Sept 26, 2013: Twelve persons, including Lieutenant Colonel Bikramjeet Singh, killed in two militant attacks on the police and Army formations in Kathua and Samba
• July 22, 2003: Fidayeen attacked an Army camp in Akhnoor, killing a Brigadier. Twelve Army officers, including four Generals, Brigadier and two Colonels, were injured in the attack