Kashmir Impulse Desk
Srinagar, Nov 11
Three personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were injured when suspected militants opened fire at a security checkpoint in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Wednesday, triggering a large-scale search operation and heightened security measures across the Valley.
The attack took place at around 2:15 pm at a checkpoint in Nowpora Akhran near Mir Bazar, where personnel of the CRPF’s 46th Battalion were deployed as part of a bridge security detail.
The location is around 2 km from the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway.
Police said the attackers fired at the checkpoint before fleeing. Security personnel returned fire, but the assailants managed to escape.
The injured were identified as Constable Rakesh Dass, Constable Santanu Chandra and Head Constable Sonbir Singh.
Dass, who sustained a gunshot wound to his leg, and Singh, who was injured in his left arm, were reported to be stable.
Chandra sustained injuries to his abdomen and spine and was initially taken to Government Medical College (GMC) Anantnag.
He was subsequently shifted to the 92 Base Hospital in Srinagar for specialised treatment after his condition deteriorated.
Police, Army, and paramilitary personnel cordoned off the area and launched a joint search operation.
Quick Reaction Teams were also deployed, while additional security personnel were stationed at checkpoints and other vulnerable locations.
Senior officers from the three forces reached the site to supervise the operation. Investigators were examining CCTV footage from nearby areas to identify the attackers.
A CRPF spokesman confirmed that its personnel had come under fire at a checkpoint in Kulgam and said an operation was underway to apprehend those responsible.
The spokesman said that the injured personnel were receiving medical treatment.
Police also dismissed claims circulating on social media that a motorcycle had been used by the attackers.
In a verification report, Senior Superintendent of Police Kulgam Anayat Ali Choudhary said a motorcycle bearing registration number JK18A-5431, which had been linked to the attack in social media posts, was not used by the assailants.
According to the police verification, the motorcycle was being used by Shaukat Yousuf, son of Muhammad Yousuf, who was working at a nursery on his family’s land near the site of the attack.
The vehicle was registered in the name of his brother, Yasir Yousuf, of Qaimoh.
Police urged people not to circulate unverified information about the incident.
Security was also tightened in Srinagar and other parts of Kashmir following the attack. Police established additional checkpoints, intensified vehicle inspections and frisking of commuters, and deployed personnel and armoured vehicles at sensitive junctions.
Security teams also increased surveillance along the highway and at vulnerable entry and exit points.
The Special Operations Group and other security units were deployed at selected locations, markets and roads.
The Ministry of Home Affairs convened a high-level security meeting after receiving a briefing from the CRPF on the incident.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said security forces had been given a free hand to act against militants.
In a post on X, Sinha said he had reviewed the security situation with senior officials at Lok Bhavan in Srinagar and directed security forces to intensify action against those responsible.
He also visited the 92 Base Hospital in Srinagar to enquire about the condition of the injured CRPF personnel and met doctors treating them.
The attack came amid a series of security incidents in south Kashmir in recent months.
On July 22, Head Constable Aashiq Hussain Qureshi of the J&K Police was shot dead near Lal Chowk in Anantnag while deployed for Amarnath Yatra security.
On July 31, two migrant workers from Chhattisgarh were killed at a brick kiln in the Kilam area of Kulgam.
The Resistance Front (TRF) had claimed responsibility for the July attacks.
The incident also occurred on the day Sinha was visiting Kulgam to inaugurate the three-day Veshow Festival at Government Degree College. Officials said the festival venue was not close to the site of the attack.
The attack followed the November 8 arrest of two suspected terror associates, Muneeb Yaseen Rather and Tahir Bilal, both residents of Bugam in Kulgam.
Police had said a pistol, ammunition and hand grenades were recovered during a joint checkpoint operation.
