Gagangir Attack: 40 suspects rounded up; LG Sinha for stricter patrolling around project site

Srinagar: Investigators have rounded up more than 40 suspects for questioning as part of investigations into the deadly terror attack at Gagangir in Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir in which seven persons were killed, officials said on Tuesday.
Police officials believe that the assailants had meticulously planned the attack and were able to execute their designs due to the support of the terrorist associate network.
"We will get them (terrorists) sooner or later. We have picked up several suspects for questioning but no one has been arrested so far," a senior police officer said.
Security forces on Monday launched a large-scale combing operation in the area adjacent to tourist spot Sonamarg, a day after a horrific terror attack at a tunnel construction site.
National Investigation Agency (NIA) agents have scoured the scene for crucial evidence as the Army, CRPF and police units spread out across the hills surrounding the construction area to track down the perpetrators and their accomplices involved in one of the deadliest attacks on non-local labourers in the Kashmir valley.
The assailants, believed to be Pakistani terrorists, meticulously studied the site layout before executing their plan. They first targeted the labourers' mess before proceeding to the officers' quarters.
Officials suspect that the attackers may have had prior knowledge of the site, potentially having worked there previously or receiving support from locals present at the location. Eyewitnesses recounted the cold-blooded firing by the attackers.
The officials said CCTV footage from the area is being scrutinised.
The Resistance Front, a shadow organisation linked to the banned Lashker-e-Taiba, has claimed responsibility for the barbaric act.
In a region that has been plagued by terrorism for over three decades, this area had not experienced such a violent incident before.
The attack, which left a doctor and six labourers dead, unfolded when the staff had returned to their camp late in the evening after working on the tunnel project.
Among the deceased were Dr Shahnawaz Dar, Faheem Nasir, Kaleem, Mohammad Hanif, Shashi Abrol, Anil Shukla and Gurmeet Singh.
The NIA's investigative team visited the site to gather crucial evidence that could aid in identifying the attackers.
Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha directed the securing of vital infrastructure projects across the Union Territory (UT), saying the security of workers and officers working on key infrastructure projects is the highest priority for the government.
Sinha also directed the security forces to conduct coordinated counter-terrorism operations pro-actively to wipe out terrorism in the UT.
The Lt Governor visited Gagangir area of Ganderbal district where a deadly terror attack at a tunnel construction site on Sunday left seven people dead.
An official spokesman said Sinha travelled to Gagangir to interact with officers and workers of project implementing agency and to review the security measures on the project site.
During his visit, the Lt Governor chaired a meeting of the officers of police, civil administration, project implementing agency and other security agencies, and directed that the security grid should be further strengthened to ensure zero terror incidents in order to push rapid social and economic development, the spokesman said.
In the meeting, the LG underlined the need for securing the vital infrastructure projects across JK and putting in place a multi-pronged and fool-proof mechanism for coordination with project implementing agencies to prevent security breaches.
Sinha said the safety and security of workers and officers working on key infrastructure projects is the highest priority for the government.
The LG emphasised the need for stricter access control and regular patrolling around the project sites.
He also directed the security forces and the police to conduct coordinated counter-terrorism operations pro-actively to wipe out terrorism in JK.
Earlier, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah visited the residence of Dr Shahnawaz Dar, who was killed in a terror attack in Ganderbal on Sunday.
Abdullah visited Dar's residence in Nayidgam village in central Kashmir's Budgam district.
The chief minister met the slain doctor's family and expressed his condolences and sympathies with the family.
Abdullah was accompanied by his advisor Nasir Aslam Wani.
The doctor and six labourers were gunned down by terrorists at a tunnel-construction site on the Srinagar-Leh National Highway on Sunday evening.
Dr Dar was posted at the tunnel construction site by APCO Infratech, an infrastructure company he was working for.