Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Mar 13: After three years militants have returned to Srinagar on a suicidal mission to carry out an attack on a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), killing 5 CRPF men, injuring 10 people while both the militants were shot dead in the operation.
A top police official said here that Home Ministry had informed the Jammu and Kashmir Government about the possible militant strike in Srinagar city 10 days before.
Inspector General of Police, Abdul Gani Mir while giving details of the attack told Excelsior that two militants entered the Police Public School ground at Bemina carrying cricket kits and mixed with the boys playing cricket there.
Mir said that the militants were hiding their weapons in cricket kit they were carrying. “Once near the 33 battalion headquarters of the CRPF, they hurled grenades and then fired indiscriminately at the CRPF men”, he added.
“Five CRPF personnel were killed and Police shot dead two militants in retaliation. Four civilians and six CRPF men were also injured in the attack”, Mir said.
A police spokesman said this evening that at about 1045 hours Fidayeen attacked CRPF personnel who were readying for law and order deployments near Police Public School, Bemina Srinagar where some boys were playing cricket in the field.
Police said Superintendent of Police (SP) West, Dr Sunil Gupta, SDPO West, Rajive Pandey and SHO Parimpora Police Station, Dr Ashok Sharma immediately rushed to the spot after hearing the firing. They along with their men cordoned off the area and conducted the operation against the two militants who were firing from their automatic weapons when police arrived at the spot. Police shot dead both the militants who targeted CRPF.
Police later conducted the mopping operation and searches of the entire area. They recovered 5 dead bodies of CRPF men, two of the militants and arms and ammunition of the dead militants. They also evacuated the injured and rescued those caught in the cross fire.
The traffic on the Srinagar bypass remained suspended for several hours as the CRPF camp is situated on Bemina bypass. Police and other security forces were put on alert in Srinagar after the attack.
Police identified the dead CRPF men as ASI A B Singh, Constable Om Prakash, Constable L Parmol, Constable Shubash and Constable Satish Shah. The injured CRPF men have been identified as SI Ashok Kumar, Constable Jeevan Kishore, Constable A R Rarveen, Constable T Bharat Bai, Constable Goswami Yadesh and Constable Ram Prasad.
Injured civilians have been identified as Obaid Ahmad Dar son of Farooq Ahmad, Mudasir Ahmad Wani son of Ghulam Ahmad, Bemina, Sohail Nazir son of Nazir Ahmad and Asif Ahmad Hajam son of Nazir Ahmad all residents of Bemina. “The injured have been hospitalized and Police have registered a case”, police spokesman added.
Police recovered 2 AK-47 rifles, 5 AK magazines, 60 AK rounds, 2 Chinese pistol, 2 pistol rounds, 1 UBGI, 3 UBGL grenades, 4 hand Grenades and 2 pouches from the encounter site.
The identity of the two militants was not ascertained and police suspected that both of them are Pakistani nationals. Police sources said that the duo was part of a group of 9 militants who have recently infiltrated into Kashmir to carry out targeted attacks. The sources said that part of the group has entered Budgam district while part is in Pattan area of North Kashmir’s Baramulla district and two carried out the attack in Bemina.
Police suspected LeT hand in the attack but Hizbul Mujahideen has claimed responsibility for attack. A statement issued by Sadaqat Hussain, spokesman of the Hizbul Mujahideen on behalf of its chief Syed Salahudin has said that the attack was carried out in the memory of those killed recently by Army, police and CRPF in Kashmir valley. He warned to carry out more such attacks in future.
A top police official said here that the Home Ministry had informed the State Government about the possible militant strike in Srinagar 10 days ago. “All the security agencies were on alert but their more focus was on law and order problem in Srinagar”, he added.
Police sources said that last night the three militants came from Baramulla district and they were received by another one who had hired a Sumo from Batmaloo area of Srinagar city to reach Narbal. “Two of the killed militants are part of the 3 militants who arrived from Baramulla last night”, the sources added.
Police are clueless about the night stay of the four militants after the four met at Narbal. Police sources suspected that the militant who brought the two militants from Baramulla could have been Hilal Molvi, a top commander of Lashkar-e-Toiba operating in Baramulla district while the militant who received them at Narbal could have been Divisional Commander of LeT, Fahadullah who had arrived in Srinagar a day before.
On receiving information last night about the movement of the four militants, Police launched a search operation and also alerted the Rashtriya Rifles of the Army who also conducted searches against these militants, mostly around the national highway from Narbal to Srinagar. But neither police nor the Army could trace out these militants.
After the attack police and Army have launched a massive operation against the two militants who accompanied the two militants to Bemina for carrying out the attack. They have also launched operation against the three militants who have entered Budgam district as they feel that these three might also be on suicidal mission.
Today attack in Srinagar comes after three years. Last time militants carried out suicidal attack in Srinagar was in January 2010 in which three CRPF men and 2 militants were killed while 10 people including civilians were injured in the attack.
Meanwhile, State Government strongly condemned the terrorist attack at Bemina in which 5 CRPF jawans laid down their lives. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, in the UHQ meeting held at Srinagar today evening condoled the death of CRPF jawans and conveyed the sympathies of the Government to the DGP CRPF.
Government has also taken note of the incident at Zoonimar in which a civilian died.
DGP who is camping in Srinagar will be making detailed enquiry into the happenings today. The Chief Minister has reiterated that violence has no place in a civilized society. He has advised all the agencies to exercise maximum restraint in dealing with the current situation.
Ghulam Nabi Azad, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare has condemned the suicide attack carried out by terrorists on a CRPF picket at Srinagar and expressed deep sorrow on the loss of lives suffered by CRPF. Mr Azad also condoled the sad demise of one youth who got killed in a firing incident at Soura.
Expressing serious concern over the incident, Mr Azad said that these reprehensible acts are not going to weaken the resolve of the people to fight elements inimical to peace and tranquility. “Our people have braved many such detestable acts in the past also, and that their courage and resilience have been exemplary all through,” he said.
Mr Azad also conveyed his sympathies to the bereaved families as well as the injured.
Speaker Mubarak Gul has also expressed grief over the death of five CRPF personnel who were killed in a suicide attack in Srinagar this morning.
Soon after the Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah informed the House about the incident, the Speaker expressed his sympathies with the bereaved families and his good wishes to those injured in the incident.
Follow our WhatsApp channel