The homes of two Lashkar-e-Taiba militants suspected of involvement in the Pahalgam attack were flattened in explosions shortly before the army chief arrived in Kashmir on Friday to review security amid the escalating tensions with Pakistan.
General Upendra Dwivedi met senior officers with a portrait of Krishna and Arjuna on a chariot and a Bhagavad Gita quote hanging in the background, reflecting religious symbolism amid talk of tough action against Pakistan.
Local people claimed the forces demolished the militants’ houses with explosives on Thursday night. Police sources said that “suspicious objects” — apparently explosives — stored inside the houses caused the blast, without clarifying what or who set them off.
Dwivedi’s visit was preceded by a purported exchange of small-arms fire between Indian and Pakistani troops in the Nowgam sector in Kupwara district, the ceasefire violation coming after a lull of several months.
A gun battle in Bandipora district left two policemen injured, with some reports suggesting a Lashkar associate was killed. Some local people claimed the slain man was the brother of a jailed
Lashkar militant.
The houses blown up belonged to the families of Asif Sheikh of Monaghama in Tral, Pulwama, and Adil Hussain Thokar of Anantnag.
“During searches by security forces at both locations, some suspicious objects were found. Sensing potential danger, the forces quickly retreated for safety,” a senior police officer said.
“Shortly afterwards, massive blasts occurred, resulting in significant damage to
the houses.”
Earlier on Thursday, the police had named Adil as one of three militants involved in the Pahalgam attack. Asif too is suspected to be part of the conspiracy.
The police had not commented officially on the incident till late in the night.
A video showed one of the houses going up in flames after an explosion.
None could recall any militant’s home being blown up under such circumstances before. Many houses have caught fire or been blown apart during encounters in
the past.
Local people in Tral claimed the explosion at Asif’s house occurred after the forces had evacuated the family. One of them said Asif’s father shared the house with his siblings, and that Asif’s immediate family occupied only two rooms.
The police have announced a ₹20-lakh reward for information on each Pahalgam attacker, with the promise to keep any informant’s identity a secret.
Dwivedi visit
Officials said Dwivedi was briefed by the commander of the army’s Srinagar-based 15 Corps on the counter-terror operations undertaken after Tuesday’s Pahalgam attack.
The army informally shared with journalists pictures of Dwivedi conversing with senior officers in Srinagar, drawing cheers from many social media users who have been advocating tough action against Pakistan. None of the major army X handles shared the pictures.
A Delhi-based TV channel said the quote from the Gita and the portrait of Krishna and Arjuna carried an important message.
“O Lord, behold my chariot, through which I am always decidedly victorious…. Courage and tenacity are its wheels; immutable truth and character are its flags,” the quote from the Gita read.
Communal tensions have deepened in the country with reports saying the Pahalgam militants had singled out and killed non-Muslims, and some Rightwing social media users and politicians portraying the atrocity in religious colours. One of the militants’ victims — a local pony operator killed for trying to save the tourists — was a Muslim.
Army sources said Pakistan had started the firing in the Nowgam sector, with Indian troops retaliating.
“The exchange lasted over an hour. There’s no report of casualties,” a source said.
The Srinagar-based defence spokesperson did not respond to questions about the reported exchange of fire.
Dwivedi met lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha, who asked him to take steps not just to bring the Pahalgam attackers and plotters to justice but also to crush the terror infrastructure and ecosystem.
The army chief’s meeting with his officers reviewed the security mechanisms in place and discussed various short-term and long-term measures, as well as integration and coordination among the various security agencies.
Among those present were the GOC-in-C, Northern Command, Lt Gen. M.V. Suchindra Kumar; the deputy chief of army staff, Lt Gen. Pratik Sharma; and the GoC, 15 Corps, Lt Gen. Prashant Srivastava.
Dwivedi is likely to visit Baisaran, where the attack took place. A manhunt is under way there for the militants.
The Bandipora encounter — the fourth since the Pahalgam massacre — broke out in the early hours when the forces came under fire as they approached a rebel hideout in the Ajas forest.
“In the initial firing, two policemen were injured,” an official said.