Attack carried out by Lashkar: Police

Srinagar: Two Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed while two others were injured, one of them critically, in a militant attack that took place in Lawaypora on the outskirts of Srinagar on Thursday afternoon.
As per reports, militants fired at a CRPF road opening party (ROP) deployed along the Srinagar-Baramulla national highway in a mobile bunker vehicle, at Lawaypora in the late afternoon, leaving four CRPF personnel injured, two of whom succumbed to their injuries in hospital.
The slain have been identified as Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Manga Ram Barman, a resident of Tripura, and Ashok Kumar, a resident of Chandigarh.
“At around 3:45 in the afternoon, militants attacked mobile patrol vehicle of CRPF 73-Battalion, which were discharging their ROP duties on the highway. The vehicle was fired at from two sides, behind as well as the right side. One Sub Inspector was killed and three other CRPF personnel were injured. Among the injured, however, only one is stable while two others are critical”, Kishor Prasad, DIG CRPF, told reporters after the incident.
Among the two critical, stated by Prasad, one succumbed to his injuries later in the evening. The condition of another CRPF personnel continued to remain critical till late evening.
“It was a hit and run attack. Soon all the involved militants will be either arrested or killed,” Prasad said.
Soon after the attack, government forces cordoned off the area and a manhunt was launched to nab the militants.
IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar paid rich tributes to the slain personnel and said he stood with the families at this critical juncture.
“Militants had fired indiscriminately upon a CRPF vehicle of 73Bn at Lawaypora on National Highway in which 4 CRPF personnel received bullet injuries. All the injured personnel were immediately evacuated to hospital for the treatment of their injuries. However, two of the injured, namely SI Shri Manga Ram Dev Barman & Ct Ashok Kumar, succumbed to their injuries,” police said in a statement.
Police said that preliminary investigations indicated that the attack was planned and carried out by militant outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT).
“Police has registered a case in this regard under relevant sections of law. Investigation is vigorously going on and officers continue to work to establish the full circumstances of this terror crime besides identifying the terrorists involved in the crime. Area has been cordoned and search in the area is going on to nab the militants”, the police statement added.
Speaking to reporters at the site of incident, Deputy Inspector General of CRPF Srinagar sector, Kishore Panday, said that at least four heavily armed militants fired on the Mobile Bunker Vehicle (MBV) of CRPF that was part of the Road Opening Party (ROP) at Lawaypora. “Two CRPF men were killed in the attack, third one is critical and four one is stable,” said Panday.

KALEEM GEELANI