Terrorists attacks jawans; one dies in hit-and run attack

In a hit-and-run attack, a jawan has lost his life while his companion escaped with injuries.

Terrorists attacked a CRPF posse deployed at Batamloo on Tuesday, just few hundred meters from the Civil Secretariat, the seat of Jammu and Kashmir government, killing one soldier and injuring another. Burhanuddin, an operational spokesman for Hizbul Mujhadeen, took ownership for the attack.

The incident occurred in the afternoon near the Fire and Emergency Service Headquarters. The terrorists attacked using automatic weapons and fled taking advantage of the crowd.

The two injured personnel were immediately shifted to the hospital, where one constable succumbed to his wounds. Constable Shankar Lal belonged to the Alpha Company of 23rd battalion of CRPF. The injured jawan has been discharged.

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“Our section was posted for the outer cordon duty of the Civil Secretariat,” said Ravideep Singh Sahi, Inspector General of CRPF, Srinagar Sector. “The troops had taken cover inside the road. When the terrorists came from the building, they carried out a hit-and-run attack.”

It was not immediately known whether the ultras were hiding in the building or not. “But they fired while taking the cover of the staircase of the building,” said Sahi.

CRPF troops exercised maximum restraint as any retaliation would have caused collateral damage because the area is always bustling. Cops said terrorists took advantage of the crowd and fled.

“The police have registered a case and are investigating the matter. The initial investigation into the case has led to some tangible leads on which the police are working,” said a police spokesman.

The attack comes just two days after security forces avenged the brutal murder of a policeman by killing three top militants.