CRPF jawan killed in encounter with militants in J-K’s Pulwama

Police said the incident occurred when a joint security team comprising Army, police and CRPF personnel launched a search at the village late on Friday night, after receiving specific inputs on the presence of around four to six militants there.

A CRPF jawan was killed in an encounter between militants and security personnel at Chinar Bagh village in Pulwama district on Friday night.

Visuals from encounter underway between terrorists and security forces in Pulwama. (Visuals deferred by unspecified time) (ANI/Twitter)

The militants managed to escape.

The deceased, identified as JD Mandeep Kumar, was fatally injured in the initial exchange of fire.

Police said the incident occurred when a joint security team comprising Army, police and CRPF personnel launched a search at the village late that night, after receiving specific inputs on the presence of around four to six militants there.

They were fired upon when they reached the house where the militants were hiding, the spokesman said.

Bashir Ahmad, the house owner, was injured on the shoulder in the shootout. He was taken to hospital and his condition is stable, the official said.

The area was immediately cordoned off, but the militants managed to flee in the darkness, the police spokesman said.

Locals said that protests also started soon after people came to know about the encounter. They said two houses were also damaged in the blaze triggered by the gunfight.

The operation was called off early on Saturday morning.

The incident came hours after a policeman was killed in a suspected militant attack on a police post in central Kashmir’s Budgam on Friday afternoon.

As many as 41 people — including militants, civilians and security personnel — have been killed in various instances of violence across Kashmir in April. More than 22 people have died this month, including eight civilians, near encounter sites.