3 CRPF jawans martyred in fresh encounter with militants in Handwara

Additional forces have been rushed to Handwara to track down the assailants, the officials said, adding further details are awaited  

Srinagar: A day after five security personnel, including two senior Army officers, died in a gun battle with militants, three CRPF personnel were killed in an attack by militants in North Kashmir’s Handwara on Monday evening, officials said.  

The attackers opened fire on a CPRF naka party at Wangam-Qaziabad in Kralgund area of the district, they said.

“Three personnel of 92 Bn CRPF attained martyrdom,” a CRPF spokesperson said. The three, all of them constables, have been identified as Ashwani Kumar from UP, and C Chandrasekar and Santosh Kumar from Aurangabad in Bihar. 

Three CRPF jawans were killed on the spot, they said.

Security forces also recovered the body of a 14-year-old boy, who was “killed in crossfire”.

According to a report on The Indian Express, CRPF Special DG (J&K Zone) Zulfiquar Hasan said that militants fired at personnel deployed on law and order duty at a joint checkpoint at Wangam in the Qaziabad area of Handwara in Kupwara district.

“The CRPF retaliated promptly but three of our men lost their lives. The boy was killed in crossfire. Further details are being ascertained,” he said. Hasan said the CRPF was also “looking into” reports that the militants took away weapons from the personnel who were killed.

This is the second attack on the CRPF in North Kashmir within a month. On April 18, three personnel were killed and two others injured after militants attacked a joint checkpoint of CRPF and Jammu and Kashmir Police in Sopore.

On Sunday, the Commanding Officer of a counter-insurgency battalion, a Major and a J-K Police Officer were among the five personnel killed in Handwara. Two militants, including a Pakistan national, were also killed in the gun battle.