Three personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were injured on Wednesday afternoon when motorcycle-borne gunmen opened fire on a security checkpoint in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.
The attack took place at around 2:15 pm in the Akhran–Nowpora area near Mir Bazar in south Kashmir, where personnel of the CRPF’s 46th Battalion were deployed at a regular checkpoint, known as a naka. According to officials, two assailants riding a motorcycle fired at the personnel and fled the spot immediately afterwards, using the road network near the national highway bypass.
The injured were identified as Head Constable Somveer Singh and Constables Rakesh Dass and Santosh Chandru. Dass, a resident of Assam, suffered a bullet injury to his leg, while Singh, from Madhya Pradesh, was shot in the arm. Both were described as stable. Chandru, a resident of West Bengal, suffered firearm injuries to his abdomen and spine, was taken to the operation theatre, and was reported to be in a critical condition.
All three were rushed to Government Medical College (GMC) in Anantnag for treatment. According to reports, arrangements were also being considered for specialised treatment or an airlift to the 92 Base Hospital in Srinagar if required.
Search operation launched
Following the attack, joint teams of the Jammu and Kashmir Police, the Army’s Rashtriya Rifles and additional CRPF personnel reached the spot and cordoned off the Akhran–Mir Bazar stretch. A cordon-and-search operation was launched to track down the attackers and establish their escape route, while security was strengthened across south Kashmir.
Reports said CCTV footage of the attack showed a burst of nearly 30 gunshots in about 15 seconds, and investigators were examining the footage to reconstruct how the assault unfolded. The attackers were not clearly identifiable in the footage, according to the reports.
No group had claimed responsibility for the attack at the time of reporting, and officials were yet to confirm the identity of the outfit behind it or the weapons used.
The incident was the first reported attack in Kulgam district since July 31, when two labourers were killed in the Kelam area, according to reports. It came as the district was preparing for the Veshaw Festival, which Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha was scheduled to attend as the chief guest, with security already strengthened along key routes and transit corridors in Kulgam and neighbouring Anantnag.
