There has not been enough snowfall in the higher reaches of Jammu and Kashmir during this winter. And it has been a cause of concern for the security agencies, as incidents of terrorists sneaking into Indian territory from the higher passes might have gone up drastically.
Following the terrorist attack at Sunjwan, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman sanctioned Rs 1,487 crore to the Army to improve security at its bases across the country. The minister has reportedly set a deadline of 10 months to implement measures to boost security.
The Army is fearing more attacks similar to the attack on the Sunjwan Army camp in the heart of Jammu in the wee hours of Saturday. According to an estimate, there are more than 300 militants thought to be active in the state, of which half are foreign terrorists.
So far, this year, eight terrorist-initiated incidents have taken place compared with 131 incidents of terrorist attacks in 2017. However on three occasions in this year, the Army has managed to foil infiltration bids at the Line of Control, while last year, 33 infiltration attempts were neutralised by the security forces.
"Due to less snowfall during this winter, higher ridges and passes on the Line of Control were not closed. It gave enough space to terrorists to sneak into. Though it is difficult to counter numbers, we can expect more Sunjwan camp-type attacks in near future," said a defence official.
According to the army's official sources, at least two army personnel were killed and six others including three women and children suffered injuries, when a group of militants stormed the Sunjwan Army camp in Jammu city. The elite special forces unit of para commandos were dispatched to the site as they were airlifted from the Udhampur-based Corps headquarters.
"Due to the presence of women and children in the housing colony, the operations are being progressed cautiously to minimise casualties," the Army said in a statement.
Saturday's attack has once again raised the issue of security of military establishments across the country. Several measures to strengthen perimeter security were suggested by a committee headed by former Army vice-chief lieutenant-general Philip Campose, soon after the Pathankot airbase attack in January 2016. The Campose committee found several gaping loopholes in the security set-up of many installations.
With some steps to improve security of military bases, Campose submitted his report to then defence minister Manohar Parrikar in 2016.
The defence ministry had circulated broad guidelines based on the Campose report to the three services and directed them to conduct an internal security audit to plug the gaps.
The steps proposed included inducting modern technology such as closed circuit televisions, electrification of the perimeter fence, and night vision devices for soldiers guarding the camps.
But two years after the report was submitted, many of its recommendations are yet to be implemented. There are an estimated 500 big and small army camps and installations in J&K and at least Rs1.5 crore to Rs 2 crore is required to enhance security as per the Campose report.
Moreover, the Campose report had also proposed an external audit of security of camps and installations, which has not been accepted by the three services.
(With agency inputs)