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Security forces intensify search operations in Rajouri after reports of suspected terrorist movement in forest areas. (Img: X)
Srinagar: Security forces have intensified operations across Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri and Udhampur districts amid fresh reports of suspected terrorist movement, a development that comes against the backdrop of heightened concern over cross-border infiltration from Pakistan. The security alert has coincided with a diplomatic escalation, with the Ministry of External Affairs summoning the Chargé d’Affaires of the Pakistan High Commission to lodge India’s strong protest over what New Delhi described as continued facilitation of illegal cross-border infiltration.
In Rajouri, the security response was triggered after three suspected terrorists reportedly abducted a villager, identified as Anil Sudan, near his residence in Upper Lardia in the Sunderbani sector late Saturday night.
According to officials, the suspected terrorists allegedly took Sudan with them and used him as a guide while moving towards the Dua Khad forest. He was reportedly released at around 3:15 am, after which security agencies were alerted and moved swiftly to the area.
Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police personnel subsequently launched a large-scale combing operation to trace the suspected group. Search teams have been deployed across the surrounding forest terrain, with security forces examining possible movement routes and areas that could provide temporary cover. No contact with the suspected terrorists had been established at the time of the latest update.
The security alert intensified further after local residents reported seeing two individuals dressed in black and carrying backpacks and weapons in the Mandugala Dhok forest.
Following the reports, security forces cordoned off the area and expanded the search operation across adjoining forest stretches. Teams are examining possible hideouts, tracks and escape routes as they attempt to establish the identity of the individuals and determine whether the reported sighting is connected to the earlier incident.
For investigators, the forest terrain presents a particular operational challenge, with dense vegetation and difficult topography potentially allowing suspected militants to evade ground surveillance.
A separate security operation is underway in Chigli Keya village of Udhampur district following inputs regarding suspected terrorist movement.
The development assumes added significance given the recent encounter in the Majalta area of Udhampur on September 17. Two Pakistani terrorists were killed during that operation, while another terrorist was reportedly injured but managed to escape.
Security agencies have since maintained heightened vigilance across the district, particularly in forested and difficult-to-access areas. The latest search operation is therefore being viewed against a broader backdrop of sustained counter-terrorism activity in the Jammu region.
Rajouri and Udhampur occupy a sensitive position in Jammu and Kashmir’s security landscape, with extensive forest cover and mountainous terrain creating both operational challenges and potential movement corridors.
Security forces routinely conduct area-domination exercises, intelligence-based searches and cordon-and-search operations in vulnerable zones. Such operations are aimed at detecting suspicious movement, disrupting potential infiltration routes and preventing armed groups from establishing temporary hideouts close to civilian settlements.
The immediate task in the latest operations is to establish whether the separate reports from Rajouri and Udhampur are connected or represent distinct instances of suspected terrorist movement.
The heightened security activity comes at a time when India has also raised the issue of cross-border infiltration with Pakistan. The Ministry of External Affairs summoned the Chargé d’Affaires of the Pakistan High Commission and conveyed India’s strong protest over what New Delhi described as the continued facilitation of illegal cross-border infiltration from Pakistan.
India also rejected what it termed baseless allegations concerning an October 2 incident in the Ferozepur sector of Punjab along the International Border.
According to the Indian government, three individuals had entered Indian territory and continued moving towards the border fence despite repeated warnings from the Border Security Force. The BSF subsequently engaged them after assessing their movement as posing an imminent security threat.
New Delhi further described the incident as part of a wider pattern involving cross-border movement by armed narcotics syndicates operating from Pakistan. India has urged Pakistan to investigate the alleged infiltration, drug-smuggling activities and any involvement of Pakistani border forces, and to take appropriate corrective measures.
India has also called upon Pakistan to respect the sanctity of the International Border and adhere to the relevant bilateral arrangements. New Delhi has urged Islamabad to ensure that its forces exercise effective control over its side of the border, prevent unauthorised movement and take measures to prevent similar incidents from recurring.
The diplomatic exchange adds another dimension to the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, where agencies remain focused on monitoring suspected infiltration routes, forest corridors and vulnerable stretches along the Jammu region.
On the ground, the focus remains firmly on locating and identifying the suspected terrorists reported in Rajouri and Udhampur. Security personnel are continuing searches across forest areas and nearby villages while maintaining surveillance over possible movement corridors. Information provided by local residents is also being examined as part of the ongoing security assessment.
The reported abduction of a civilian, the sighting of suspected armed individuals and the separate search operation in Udhampur have heightened vigilance across the region.
The operations are expected to continue until security agencies complete searches of the suspected movement zones and establish whether any armed group is present in the forest areas.
Security forces are likely to maintain a heightened presence around vulnerable stretches of Rajouri, Sunderbani and Udhampur, with particular attention on forest routes and areas that could potentially be used for concealment or movement.
For residents, the immediate impact is likely to include intensified checking, surveillance and security deployment in sensitive areas. The larger security concern is whether the latest reports point to isolated movement or a broader attempt by suspected militants to exploit Jammu’s forest terrain. Establishing that link will remain a key focus as the search operations continue.
