CRPF man killed in Kashmir militant attack

One paramilitary personnel was killed when militants attacked the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) party in Bijbehara town of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district on Tuesday evening.

Sources said that militants first lobbed a grenade towards a CRPF party, which didn’t explode. However, they said, minutes later, the militants fired upon the CRPF men injuring one paramilitary personnel.

The injured jawan was rushed to a nearby hospital, however, he died on the way, reports said. The slain was identified as Shivlal Netam.

A police official while confirming the incident said soon after the attack, police and security forces rushed to the spot. He said a search operation was launched to nab the attackers.

Amid coronavirus pandemic, the militancy incidents in Kashmir Valley have seen a rise with six security personnel, nine militants and three civilians have been killed since last one week.

The latest incident comes just two days after five army personnel, including a junior commissioned officer from Special Forces squad, were killed in a “hand to hand and close quarter battle” with infiltrating militants in snowbound woods of Keran sector along the Line of Control in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district.

Five militants were also killed in the gun battle that raged in the woods of Kupwara on Wednesday and culminated on Sunday morning.

Prior to that four militants affiliated with Hizb-ul-Mujahideen outfit were killed in an encounter with security forces in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district on April 4.