CRPF officer, 2 ultras killed in Srinagar

Encounter: 3 heavily armed militants attack patrol party

A CRPF officer and two militants were killed when ultras attacked a police station in the volatile Nowhatta area of old city Srinagar on Monday.

The police said nine security personnel, including commanding officer of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) 49 Battalion Promod Kumar, were injured when three heavily armed militants attacked their patrol party near the Naqshband Sahib shrine in Nowhatta. The historical Jama Masjid is a few hundred metres from the site of the attack.

A police spokesman said that after the initial assault, the militants hid in a nearby building and exchanged fire with security forces for several hours, during which two ultras were killed.

He said Kumar, who was shifted to hospital, succumbed to his injuries. The other injured were hospitalised, and one is said to be in a critical condition.

While the police did not identify the two slain militants, sources told DH that they were Pakistanis. “One of the militants managed to escape from the security cordon, while two were neutralised,” the source said.

The police have recovered two AK rifles and eight magazines with ammunition from the encounter site.

The slain CRPF officer, who hailed from Patna, was posted at Srinagar in April 2014 and was recently promoted as a commandant. He had been decorated with the CRPF director general’s commendation in 2011, 2014 and 2015. Kumar had also served in the Special Protection Group for three years.

The incident took place after a prolonged lull in downtown Srinagar. In March 2013, a fidayeen had stormed a CRPF camp in Bemina area on the outskirts of Srinagar, killing five troopers and injuring 10.

The attack came at a time when Kashmir has been witnessing violent protests following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on July 8. As many as 59 people have been killed and over 5,000 others injured in the clashes.

Infiltrators killed

In another incident, the army killed five militants and foiled an infiltration bid in Uri sector of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Sunday night.

“Soldiers spotted a group of militants near the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri sector this (Monday) morning. The militants opened fire, triggering a gunfight. Five militants were killed,” an army official said. He said the identities of the militants were yet to be established.