Doda, Jun 12: Fear has gripped Doda district after two back-to-back firefights within a span of just 24 hours in Bhaderwah and Gandoh areas were reported, which left seven people including five soldiers and two policemen injured.
The back-to-back incidents have forced the school education department to verbally communicate to the heads of educational institutions not to conduct any outing or allow students to leave the schools during the working hours.
Even some tourists are leaving Bhaderwah, the emerging tourist destination where thousands of tourists have visited in the past few months.
Sources told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that following last night’s firefight in Chattergala, the Chief Education Officer Doda this morning issued verbal orders to Principals and Heads of Educational Institutions to follow the orders in letter and spirit.
“Some exposure visits which were planned for the next few days had to be cancelled by the department and schools have been told not to conduct any kind of picnic till further orders,” the source said.
On Tuesday night, some terrorists opened fire on security forces in Chattergala on Bhaderwah-Bani road in which five soldiers and a Special Police Officer (SPO) were injured.
All the traffic movement along the route was suspended and people were advised not to carry out any kind of visit to the upper reaches of Bhaderwah due to security reasons.
“I received a call from my family in the morning from Aligarh when they heard about the firefight in Bhaderwah area. They were quite frightened and advised not to venture out. It is for the first time since they heard about any kind of encounter in Doda district since I have been posted here,” a teacher of Kendriya Vidyalaya school said—(KNO)