Three Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were injured, one of them critically, when suspected militants opened fire on a security checkpoint in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Wednesday afternoon.
The attack took place at around 2.15 pm at Nowpora Akhran, near Mir Bazar, a few kilometres from National Highway 44 in south Kashmir. Two motorcycle-borne assailants opened fire on CRPF personnel deployed at a naka, or checkpoint, manned by the force’s 46th Battalion, and then fled the spot.
Closed-circuit television footage from the area captured the intensity of the attack, showing nearly 30 rounds being fired in the first 15 seconds, followed by another dozen shots within the next minute. The footage has been widely shared and has become a central part of the investigation.
The injured personnel were identified as Head Constable Somveer Singh, Constable Rakesh Dass and Constable Santosh Chandru. Dass sustained a bullet injury to his leg, Singh was hit in his left arm, and Chandru suffered gunshot injuries to his abdomen and spine. Chandru was taken to the operation theatre and was described as being in a critical condition.
The three were first taken to the Government Medical College in Anantnag, and the critically injured jawan was later shifted to the Army’s 92 Base Hospital in Srinagar. Officials said the other two were stable. A Motorola phone and a SIM card were recovered from the scene, and a massive search operation is under way to trace the attackers.
Security agencies suspect the involvement of a local Lashkar-e-Taiba module operating in south Kashmir, and are examining the possible role of a local commander, Mohammed Lateef Bhat, who had previously escaped a security operation in Shopian in July. Three overground workers of the group were being questioned, according to reports.
The attack was the third terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir since July and the second targeting security personnel. It took place on a day when the territory’s Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, was in Kulgam to inaugurate the Veshow festival at the Government Degree College, only a short distance from the scene.
The CRPF has briefed the Ministry of Home Affairs on the attack, and a high-level meeting is under way at the home ministry. CRPF Director General G.P. Singh confirmed the number of injured to reporters and said operations were going on to nab the perpetrators, adding that the best possible treatment would be given to the injured.
The opposition Congress party questioned the government’s claims of normalcy in the territory after the attack, saying the daylight assault on a security checkpoint showed that the security challenge in Kashmir remained serious despite a sharp decline in local militancy.
The attack has brought the continuing security challenge in the Kashmir Valley back into focus. Officials said the search operation in Kulgam would continue until the attackers were traced, and that security had been tightened at checkpoints across south Kashmir.
