Security forces continued a massive joint search operation in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Sunday, days after a terrorist attack near Nowpora Akhran left three Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel injured.
The cordon-and-search operation (CASO) is underway in the Ganjipora Mir Bazaar area, with senior Jammu and Kashmir Police officers, including the Director General of Police and the Inspector General of Police, Kashmir range, present at the site to monitor the operation.
The Jammu and Kashmir Police, Army and CRPF have launched coordinated searches across residential areas, orchards and surrounding localities of Mir Bazaar. Security personnel are checking identities, questioning residents and conducting house-to-house searches.
Officials said the scale of the operation and the presence of senior police officers indicate that security agencies are acting on specific inputs about the movement or possible hideout of the attackers. The search operation was continuing at the time of reporting.
Three CRPF personnel injured in November 11 attack
The operation follows the November 11 attack at Nowpora Akhran, near Mir Bazaar, where unidentified motorcycle-borne militants opened fire on a CRPF checkpoint at around 2.15 pm.
Three personnel belonging to the CRPF’s 46th Battalion were injured in the firing. They were identified as Head Constable Somveer Singh and Constables Rakesh Dass and Santosh Chandru.
The injured personnel were initially shifted to Government Medical College in Anantnag for treatment. Reports said one of them was critically injured and was subsequently airlifted to an Army hospital in Srinagar for specialised medical care.
Search operation extended to nearby villages
Security forces launched an extensive search immediately after the attack, cordoning off the area and deploying teams to trace the assailants, who reportedly fled towards a nearby forest after opening fire.
The operation continued for nearly 17 hours on November 12 before being expanded to neighbouring villages and orchards.
Authorities have not announced any arrests or confirmed the identities of those involved in the attack so far.
Officials said the joint operation would continue until the area was thoroughly sanitised and those responsible for the attack were traced.
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