AMN
An Army captain, 2 CRPF personnel and a civilian have been killed in an encounter between militants and security forces at a government institute in Pampore in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district. The attackers had taken refuge inside the Institute complex yesterday afternoon after attacking the security personnel. All the people, including employees and students trapped inside the campus, were evacuated safely by security forces. Sources said, militants did not take any hostages.
The area remained besieged throughout the night and the intermittent firing was going on, when reports last came in.
The incident occurred at 3:45 pm Saturday when heavily armed militants, believed to be two to three in number, attacked a CRPF convoy that was coming from Jammu to Srinagar. “As the convoy reached near EDI, militants fired on the vehicles leaving at least 11 CRPF men injured, two of them critically,” police sources said.
Praveen Kumar, an injured constable receiving treatment in hospital, said, “We were coming back from vacation, I saw two pheran clad boys on the highway, as soon as our bus reached near them, they fired on us. A bullet hit our Havaldar injuring him seriously, driver too was hit. We retaliated, but after that we don’t know what happened.”
A civilian, Abdul Gani Mir of GundiporaPulwama, succumbed to injuries at SMHS Hospital after he was hit by a bullet in the encounter.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir range, Syed JavaidMujtaba Gilani, said that the militants, after attacking the CRPF convoy, immediately rushed into the EDI building. “We believe they are two to three in number,” he said. “Safety of civilians was our first priority.”
CRPF spokesman in Srinagar, BhavishChoudhary, said that two of the injured CRPF men identified as Driver Rana and Havaldar Bola Ram later succumbed to injuries. “Rest of the nine injured are being treated in SMHS Hospital Srinagar,” said Choudhary.
He said the militants were heavily armed and are believed to be two to three in number. “They are hiding in a government building at EDI. We first assisted the police to ensure proper evacuation of all the civilians holed up inside the building,” he said. The CRPF spokesman said that militants resorted to indiscriminate firing while making their entry inside the building.
He said that initially CRPF and Police were involved in the operation and later Army also reached the spot. “The area has been cordoned off and close monitoring is being ensured to prevent militants from fleeing,” said Choudhary.
He said two more CRPF men, including an Assistant Commandant, were injured in militant fire when they tried to enter the building where the gunmen were holed up.
Photo: Azan/GK