Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Dec 11: A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officer was killed and a jawan injured in a militant attack this afternoon in Nowgam Bypass area of Srinagar.
Police sources said that militants fired upon a road opening party of CRPF at Pohru Chowk, Nowgam on Srinagar Bypass killing Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Udiyat Narayain and injuring Surinder Kumar Roy of 29th battalion of CRPF.
Sources said that a militant who had concealed his weapon in a bag approached towards the ASI who had gone some 50 meters away from Srinagar Bypass on Nowgam-Pohru road to relieve himself.
“The militant spoke to the ASI for few seconds before firing at him from his automatic rifle at point blank range. The ASI received a volley of bullets, majority of these in abdomen and died on the spot”, police sources said.
Sources said that the constable Kumar was at least 30 metres away from the ASI and he was fired by another militant who was waiting for his colleague near a white car that the duo used for fleeing from the scene.
A nearby Highway domination team of the Army immediately reached the spot after the militant attack and the duo were removed to 92-Base Hospital at Badami Bagh Cantonment where the ASI was declared brought dead. The constable is said to be out of danger.
As the Army team reached the spot, the militants fled from the scene using the Nowgam-Pohru road. Sources said that the militants must have carried reconnaissance of the area before carrying out the attack and must have observed the pattern of the movement of the CRPF ROP.
Senior police, CRPF officials immediately rushed to the spot and the area was cordoned off. The security forces searched the vehicles stranded due to the firing. Police searched the nearby shops and frisked the shopkeepers and the pedestrians. However, no one was arrested during the searches.
The incident created panic in the area. The shopkeepers closed their shops and ran for safety. The drivers of the vehicles leaving their vehicles behind also ran for the safety.
The traffic on Srinagar-Baramulla National Highway was stopped for at least an hour. However, the traffic was resumed after the area was searched by the security forces.
Security forces have launched a massive manhunt against the militants responsible for the attack. One Pheran was recovered from the spot.
This is the second militant attack in the area this month. Earlier on December 2, militants killed Station House Officer (SHO) of Police Station Chadoora, Budgam in an attack in which three persons including two policemen were also injured. One of the injured, the shopkeeper, succumbed to injuries later in SKIMS hospital early this week.
Security agencies suspect Lashkar-e-Toiba hand militants behind the attack on the CRPF. They suspect that it could be Irshad Ahmad Gania whose name also surfaced in the killing of SHO Chadoora and carrying out a deadly attack on Army convoy in June this year in which eight Army personnel were killed on Srinagar Bypass near Hyderpora. His name also figured in the killing of two CRPF men on National Highway at Awantipora last month.
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