New Delhi: Three CRPF personnel were injured when motorcycle-borne suspected terrorists opened fire at a checkpoint in Jammu & Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Wednesday. The attackers escaped after the shooting at Nowpora Akhran near Mir Bazar around 2.15pm, triggering a cordon and search operation.
The CRPF initially reported two injured personnel in a statement, but a subsequent account from the force confirmed three. Officials said the attackers fired at personnel stationed at a security checkpoint before fleeing the area.
The injured belonged to the CRPF’s 46th Battalion and were shifted to government medical college, Anantnag. They were identified as constables Rakesh Dass and Santosh Chandru and head constable Somveer Singh in an official account following Anantnag deputy commissioner, Bilal Mohiuddin’s, visit to the hospital.
Dass sustained a leg injury, Singh was wounded in his left arm, and Chandru suffered injuries to his abdomen and spine. However, local media subsequently reported that all three were out of danger.
Media reports said CRPF personnel retaliated and quick reaction teams were dispatched to the scene. However, the force’s initial statement did not confirm an exchange of fire, and authorities had not described the subsequent search operation as an encounter.
According to subsequent reports, personnel from the Indian Army, CRPF and Jammu & Kashmir police cordoned off the surrounding area and launched a search operation. Senior security officials reportedly reached the location to supervise the response.
Additional barricades were erected as reinforcements arrived, and security personnel in armoured vehicles were seen near the checkpoint, locals told media. Loudspeaker announcements asked residents to remain indoors, while local reports said a general security alert had been sounded across Kulgam and adjoining areas.
The Mir Bazar area lies close to an important road corridor connecting the Kashmir Valley with Jammu, where security checkpoints form part of routine precautions. The attackers’ identities and affiliations remained unconfirmed, while no arrests, weapon recoveries or subsequent encounters had been officially announced in the latest reports.
Security forces continued efforts to identify and apprehend those responsible for the attack.