A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawan was killed in the early hours of Monday in an attempt by two militants to enter the para-military force's 23 Battalion in in the heart of Srinagar’s Kara Nagar area.
The two militants fled from the spot after the retaliatory fire and took refuge in a building under construction in the busy market area outside the camp. There was an exchange of fire between them and security forces and they were being engaged, a CRPF official said.
The jawan was injured in the firing by the militants and he died of his injuries in hospital, he said.
The militants, carrying backpacks and AK-47 rifles, were spotted by a CRPF jawan around 4.30 a.m., and as they approached the camp, CRPF personnel opened fire on them. They escaped in the cover of darkness and took refuge in the building outside the camp.
A police official said the militants were spotted during a search operation between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. “We cannot provide more information for operational reasons,” he added.
Police sources said a gunfight was on between the militants and security forces and the area was being sealed “to disallow the militants to escape from the spot.”
Kara Nagar has many commercial establishments, including the Valley's premiere hospital, Shri Maharaja Hari Singh hospital, in its vicinity.
(With inputs from Vijaita Singh in New Delhi)
