Chandigarh, April 3

The Western Command has taken an initiative of imparting self-defence training to families of serving armed forces personnel. The step has been taken in view of the recent attacks on Army camps at Sunjuwan and Nagrota where families of serving defence personnel became a soft target for the militants.The Electronics and Mechanical Engineers’ unit at Chandimandir organised a special session where trained professionals from a martial art academy demonstrated self-defence skills to women and children residing in the station.Families of Army personnel are permitted to stay in some military stations and camps in Jammu and Kashmir and they are accommodated in quarters located in a separate enclosure.In the Sunjuwan terror attack in February, the terrorists were cornered in one of the family quarters and about 150 residential houses within the complex were reportedly evacuated. In addition to the killing of two Army personnel, nine people, including five women and children were injured.A “hostage-like” situation was created when terrorists attacked an Army unit in Nagrota in 2016 and moved towards the mess complex. Two women, two children and 12 personnel were later rescued. Even during the terror attack on the Pathankot Air Force station in 2016, a large number of IAF personnel’s families were present inside.