SRINAGAR: A CRPF head constable and two constables were wounded when terrorists fired at a patrol in south Kashmir’s Akhran area of Kulgam district around 2pm Wednesday, ending a long lull in attacks on security forces in the valley. Constable Santosh Chandru, who suffered bullet wounds to his abdomen and spine, was airlifted to Army’s 92 Base Hospital in Srinagar in a critical condition. Constable Rakesh Dass and head constable Somveer Singh were stable.The attack on personnel of 46 CRPF battalion was the third major terrorist strike in Kashmir this year, but the first targeting security forces in a long time. The attackers escaped after the shooting.CCTV footage showed a CRPF trooper running for cover as gunfire erupted near a row of closed shops around 2.06pm. A colleague appeared from the left and moved towards the direction of gunfire. The first returned with his weapon and joined him. Another trooper in full combat gear was seen climbing onto a rooftop around 2.07pm. A minute later, a voice, apparently that of a wounded man outside the frame, could be heard saying: “Hamein goli lagi hai” (I am hit).A CRPF officer said the footage appeared genuine and was being examined. The attackers allegedly used a high-calibre weapon, possibly an AK-47. “It doesn’t look like pistol fire,” he said, declining to confirm whether they were riding a motorcycle.
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Army, CRPF and J&K police sealed the area and launched a manhunt. Security was heightened across Kashmir. Police described the strike as a sign of terrorists’ “growing frustration and desperation” in the face of heightened security alertness and area domination, and praised the personnel’s response.The attack happened while lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha was in Kulgam, attending a festival at Degree College, far from the site. CPM MLA MY Tarigami from Kulgam, who was with Sinha, said they learnt about the attack as the programme was drawing to a close. “We were celebrating our cultural heritage. There were poets and writers present and this happened. It is highly unfortunate,” he said, condemning terrorism.The strike came after Kashmir range IG Sujit Kumar said on Oct 5 that only one Kashmiri terrorist remained active in the valley, backed by a few foreign terrorists. Police identified him as Mohammad Lateef Bhat of Kulgam.
