The Kashmir Police on February 8 had sent an intelligence input to the Central Reserve Police Force, Border Security Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Sashastra Seema Bal, army and the air force warning of a possible IED attack, according to a letter written by the state police inspector general.
It is not known why despite the early warning, the CRPF allowed its 78-vehicle convoy carrying 2,547 security personnel to go from the transit camp in Jammu to Srinagar - a 270km stretch.
In the worst-ever attack since militancy erupted in the state, 49 CRPF personnel died and many others were injured on Thursday afternoon when a suicide bomber belonging to the Jaish-e-Mohamed rammed his vehicle packed with improvised explosive device (IED) into a bus carrying central paramilitary force personnel.
The intelligence input, sent on behalf of the inspector general of police, Kashmir, asked all security agencies to “sanitise areas properly before occupying your place or deployment as there are inputs that IEDs could be used”.
Marked “Extremely Urgent”, the letter accessed by IANS, was marked to the deputy inspector general of Central Reserve Police Force, south Srinagar; deputy inspector general of CRPF, north Srinagar; deputy inspector general of north Kashmir, Baramulla; deputy inspector general of CRPF south Kashmir, Awantipora; deputy inspector general of CRPF south Kashmir, Anantnag; deputy inspector general of Sashastra Seema Bal, south headquarters (special operations) Kashmir and all senior superintendents of police of Kashmir zone.
The information was also shared with inspector general, CRPF, Kashmir operations sector, IG CRPF, Srinagar sector, IG Border Security Force headquarter Kashmir, all range deputy inspector generals of Police of Kashmir zone, brigadier general staff (operations) at the Srinagar-based 15 Corps, the DIG Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), the air force, the commandant Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and senior superintendent of police, armed police, Control Room Srinagar.
The letter also mentioned that it should be for “all concerned”.
A suicide bomber, affiliated to the JeM terror group, rammed his SUV packed with explosives into a CRPF bus on the Srinagar-Jammu highway in Pulwama district, killing 45 troopers and leaving the security establishment stunned. The incident took place around 3.15pm, triggering a deafening explosion.
The JeM later claimed responsibility for the horror and released a video clip of the suicide bomber, a ‘commander’ identified as Adil Ahmad Dar. The group claimed it was shot before the man carried out the strike at Lethpora, about 30km from here.


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