3 CRPF Men Hurt In Kulgam Militant Attack, One Critical

Srinagar:Three Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were injured, one of them critically, when motorcycle-borne militants opened fire at a security checkpoint in the Nowpora Akhran area of Mir Bazaar in south Kashmir's Kulgam district on Wednesday afternoon, officials said.

The injured personnel, belonging to the CRPF's 46th Battalion, were identified as Constables (GD) Rakesh Dass, son of Arun Dass and a resident of Assam, and Santosh Chandru, son of Mahavir and a resident of West Bengal, and Head Constable (GD) Somveer Singh, son of Mahaveer and a resident of Madhya Pradesh.

According to officials, the militants opened fire at the CRPF personnel around 2.15 pm before fleeing the scene.

Rakesh Dass sustained a bullet injury to his leg, while Somveer Singh was wounded in his arm. Santosh Chandru suffered serious injuries to his abdomen and spine.

All three were initially shifted to Government Medical College Hospital in neighbouring Anantnag district for treatment.

Critically injured Santosh Chandru was later airlifted to Srinagar and admitted to the Army's 92 Base Hospital at its 15 Corps headquarters for specialised treatment. The condition of the other two personnel was stated to be stable.

A senior police officer confirmed the firing incident and said the circumstances surrounding the attack were being investigated.

Soon after the attack, additional contingents of the police, Army and paramilitary forces rushed to the area and launched a massive cordon-and-search operation to track down the militants.

Security forces sealed off the locality and carried out searches in adjoining areas to locate the attackers, who managed to escape after the firing.

Police and security agencies are jointly investigating the attack and trying to establish the identity and number of militants involved.