Punjab terror attack: Cops fought without bullet-proof vests, automatic rifles
The attack also left two home guards and two policemen dead
Gurdaspur: In the first major terror strike in Punjab in nearly a decade, three suspected fidayeen terrorists of a Pakistan-based terror outfit, either Laskhar-e-Taiba or Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), dressed in Army-style fatigues, struck in Gurdaspur town on Monday morning, killing eight persons, including three civilians and superintendent of police (detective) Baljit Singh, a Punjab provincial service officer, before being slain themselves in a shootout with the security forces.
Read: Terror strikes Punjab: Eight persons, including three civilians dead
The attack also left two home guards and two policemen dead.
The terror attack brought to light, once again, the extent to which our police force are ill-equipped.
Read: Punjab terror attack: They came from Pakistan, sneaked in through Pathankot village
Here is what could be observed from the video fottage that was being flashed across news channels:
- The members of the Punjab Police SWAT or Special Weapons and Tactics had no bullet-proof vests - they had kneepads but no helmets
- The attackers had AK-47s; the policemen fought back with dated SLRs - Self-Loading Rifles.
- Onlookers surrounded the police post, alarmingly close to the scene of immense danger.
- Punjab Police reportedly made it clear they would lead the operations. So India's best-trained troops were asked to restrict their role to cordoning off the area, a task usually assigned to the police.
Read: Punjab terror attack: Police officer Baljit Singh’s father was killed in 1984 militancy