Major tragedy averted: Security forces detect, defuse IED in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district

Security forces in Jammu and Kashmir averted a major tragedy on Wednesday, April 9, after detecting and defusing an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in Hafrada village of Villgam in north Kashmir's Kupwara district.

After a suspicious object was found on the roadside in the Hafruda forest area of Handwara in Kupwara district during a routine patrol, a bomb disposal squad was called to the spot for disposal. A closer inspection revealed that the suspicious object was an IED.

The squad later destroyed the IED without causing any damage, the officials said.

Meanwhile, a BSF jawan was “seriously” injured in an IED blast that occurred ahead of the fence along the India-Pakistan international border in Punjab on Wednesday. 

The incident took place on the intervening night of April 8-9 near Dorangla village in Gurdaspur district. The Border Security Force (BSF) has issued an “alert” all along the 553 km of this front in Punjab and suspension of farming around the blast area.

While cordoning off and sanitising the area, the detonating device of some of the IEDs, which was concealed, accidentally got triggered, resulting in a serious leg injury to a BSF jawan, reported PTI quoting the statement.

The constable rank jawan suffered injuries to his feet, and one of his toes blew off due to the blast, the sources said.

Despite the inherent risks, the troops continued their operation, successfully securing the area and preventing a potentially "massive" tragedy to force personnel and farmers, the BSF said.

The remaining IEDs were defused after daybreak.

A senior BSF officer based in Punjab said the Gurdaspur area has seen a few cross-border drone sorties that illegally bring in narcotics from Pakistan, but an IED is certainly new.

In another incident, a CRPF jawan was injured in a pressure IED blast. The IED was planted by Naxals in Bijapur. The jawan has been admitted to a hospital. Search operation in surrounding areas is underway. The CRPF was out on area domination duty when the incident occurred, reported ANI.