NEW DELHI Four years since the 2019 Pulwama attack, when a suicide bomber crashed into a convoy of the Central Reserve Police Force, killing 40 personnel, the federal force has been following a more secure operating procedure to prevent any further incident that puts lives at risk.
It has imposed a complete ban on movement of civilian vehicles whenever a convoy is passing through the highway between Jammu and Srinagar. The highway has been divided into 12 sectors for security purposes and there are now CCTV cameras at strategic locations. The security forces also use bulletproof vehicles, and bridges along the road are sanitised by bomb disposal squads, officials said.
On Tuesday, senior CRPF officers paid tributes to the 40 personnel who died in the 2019 attack, which took place on February 14.
“We follow the security protocol measures strictly. We leave no space for any lapses. Every point on the convoy’s route is either manned by physical or electronic surveillance,” said MS Bhatia, inspector general of CRPF, Kashmir ops sector. “If we spot suspicious activity, our teams on the ground are ready to nip it in the bud and prevent any untoward incident.”
“Weeks after the attack, a joint meeting of the CRPF, Jammu and Kashmir Police, Intelligence Bureau and other agencies were held to prevent such an attack in the future,” a CRPF officer said, asking not to be named. “A new standard operating procedure specifically for the movement of convoy was put in place. It is followed to the T. The loose ends that led to the attack were tied up in the new SOP.”
No movement of civilian vehicles is allowed on either carriageways of the highway when a convoy is passing through, a second officer said, seeking anonymity. Also, unlike during the 2019 incident, personnel are transported in bulletproof vehicles. There are two teams – a quick reaction team and a counter terrorism team – after every 4-5 vehicles in a convoy, which can swing into action immediately if there is a terror attack. At 70 sensitive locations, there are check posts manned round-the-clock by armed personnel.
“Like it happens during VIP movement in Delhi, no civilian vehicle is allowed anywhere near the convoy. The armed CRPF personnel on the road stop civilian vehicles and stand guard until the convoy passes,” the first officer said. “Now there are CCTV cameras along the route. At most sensitive locations, there are PTZ (pan, tilt and zoom) cameras. The whole highway is divided into 12 sectors. The officials on the ground communicate real time on a common channel. Each team is in-charge of one sector.”
While armed CRPF personnel stand guard along the route within 100m of each other, the route is sanitised every morning by a bomb disposal squad. “Our focus is on the several bridges along the highway. A bridge is one place where terror groups could place explosives,” the second officer said. “No civilian is allowed to stop near bridges or take photographs while the convoy is passing. Only when the road opening party clears the route, the convoy is allowed to move.”
Since investigations in the 2019 attack revealed role of the Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed, the force also takes inputs from the Intelligence Bureau and Jammu and Kashmir police before moving a convoy. At sensitive places, a separate CRPF team monitors the convoy using drones and unmanned aerial vehicles.
