Four militants were killed today in a retaliatory firing by government forces as they attempted to attack a CRPF camp at Sumbal in Bandipora district here.

The heavily armed militants tried to enter the camp of 45 Battalion CRPF at Sumbal in Bandipora at around 4:10 am by opening fire at the sentry post, a police official said.

He said the firing was retaliated by the guards even as police reinforcement was rushed to the scene of gun battle after the firing had started between the forces and the militants. “Four militants were killed in the retaliatory firing and the suicide attack was foiled,” the official said.

“Four militants were killed in retaliatory fire by troops of 45 battalion of the CRPF and Jammu and Kashmir police at Sumbal in Bandipora district during a suicidal attack by the militants on CRPF camp there,” a police spokesman said in Srinagar. However the security forces didn’t suffer any loss in the gun battle, said a police official.

The gunmen lobbed grenades and fired from the automatic weapons outside the CRPF camp, a spokesman said. CRPF spokesman, Bhuvesh Choudhary, said that the gunmen tried to storm the camp, but their attempt was foiled as the forces retaliated effectively.  “All the four attackers were eliminated in a clean operation and there were no injuries on our side.”

From the possession of slain militants, the CRPF claimed to made a large haul of arms and ammunition.  According to the CRPF officials four assault rifles, grenades and other ammunition were recovered from the bodies of the slain attackers, whose identities were not known. “ Four AK rifles, one UBGL (Underbarrel Grenade Launcher) and some ammunition were recovered from the slain militants,’’ said a senior police official.

“They were carrying huge amounts of ammunition and did not appear to be locals,” director general of police, SP Vaid said.  The Sumbal camp of the CRPF is the headquarter of 45th battalion which was headed by Chetan Kumar Cheeta who survived despite taking nine bullets while fighting militants in Bandipora district last year.

Confirming the incident, DGP Vaid said that 45 Bn and the Jammu and Kashmir police in a combined operation killed 4 militants at Sumbal and foiled the suicide attack.

Earlier on 3 June, at least two army personnel were killed and four injured in attack by militants on Army convoy in the Qazigund district. In another incident, at least one civilian was injured in ceasefire violation by Pakistan in the Poonch sector. 

The Pakistani Army had earlier initiated indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatics, 82 mm and 120 mm mortars along the Line of Control in the Nowshera and Krishna Ghati sectors on Thursday in which two civilians were injured. Later clashes erupted between protesters and government forces in Sumbal  and witnesses said that youth took to streets and pelted stones on police station Sumbal to protest the killing of four “militants” by government forces in an “encounter” early today.

“The police personnel present inside the police station responded by firing tear smoke shells,” they said. Also  a complete shutdown was observed in Sumbal against the killings. Cellular network including mobile internet was suspended in Sumbal.

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