Rebels strike in heart of Srinagar, killed one CRPF personnel injuring another

Target security forces’ picket near high-security civil secretariat; Hizb claims responsibility

Militants on Tuesday attacked Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel guarding the civil secretariat, killing a constable and wounding another in broad daylight. The attack occurred around 4.30 pm near the civil secretariat in the Batamaloo locality here.
“The militants fired at our men who were deployed in the outer cordon of the civil secretariat from inside a building and ran away,” Inspector General of the CRPF (Srinagar sector) Ravi Deep Singh Sahi told Kashmir Post. “Two of our personnel sustained bullet injuries and they were immediately taken to a hospital where one of them attained martyrdom. The CRPF retaliated keeping in view the circumstances and the area. Our men took appropriate action,” he said. The slain CRPF man was identified as Constable Shanker Lal of 23rd Battalion. He had sustained bullet injury near his neck. Another Constable Satish Kumar of 49th Battalion sustained bullet injury on the right hand. His condition was said to be stable.
Soon after the incident, additional forces were rushed to the area to trace the militants involved in the attack. Initially, the forces suspected the militants were holed up inside a building near the site which is located close to the office of IGP, Kashmir, and SSP, Srinagar. A senior officer said the ammunition recovered from the spot suggested that the militants were carrying an AK and Insas rifles. The militant group, Hizbul Mujahedeen, has claimed the responsibility for the attack. The police begun investigation after registering a case. “Initial investigation into the case has led to some tangible leads on which the police are working,” a police spokesman said.
The attack took place in a high security zone where a large number of policemen and CRPF are deployed for the secretariat’s security.
This is the first major attack in Srinagar in the past 40 days. On June 14, a top journalist, Shujaat Bukhari, was shot dead along with his two police guards in the city centre. A day later, militants targeted security forces in the Karan Nagar locality in which a policeman was killed.

Wounded constable stable
The slain CRPF man was identified as Constable Shanker Lal of 23rd Battalion. He had sustained bullet injury near his neck
Constable Satish Kumar of 49th Battalion sustained bullet injury on the right hand. His condition was said to be stable