SrinagarA paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force personnel was killed in an ongoing gunfight between militants and government forces at Karanagar area of Srinagar on Monday.
A police officer said that a CRPF man and a policeman suffered injuries in an initial exchange of gunfight. Both the injured namely Mujhaid Khan, a paramilitary CRPF man of 23 bn and Javid Ahmad a policeman, were taken to hospital where Khan succumbed to his injuries.
The officer earlier said that two militants carrying pithu bags and armed with AK 47 tried to sneak inside the CRPF camp of 23 bn at Karanagar at 0430 hours but were noticed by the alert OP sentry who immediately opened fire.
“Immediately search operation of the camp periphery launched,” he said.
He said that after several hours of search operation, the militants were traced in a nearby building and accordingly an exchange of gunfire ensued.
The police officer said that it cannot be ruled out that the assailants might be fidayeens.
When reports last came, the forces have suspended the operation for the night due to darkness and the whole area was under siege while all the routes leading to Karanagar have been sealed off.
Minister for Revenue, Parliamentary Affairs, Abdul Rehman Veeri informed the House that a CRPF personnel has been killed in the ongoing encounter.
Giving details of the incident, the Minister said that at about 4:30 am on Monday, a sentry at CRPF 23 Battalion Headquarter Karan Nagar Srinagar spotted two militants carrying Pithu bags & armed with AK 47 rifles and opened fire due to which the militants escaped towards a nearby locality.
The Minister said at about 10 hours, while conducting search in the area, the search party was fired upon near Gole Market Karan Nagar which was retaliated leading to an encounter. He said the militants have been cornered in an abandoned house near 23 Bn CRPF headquarters and the encounter is still on.