A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officer was killed after terrorists opened fire at them in Nowhatta area of Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday morning.
The security forces later down the area and after over a three hours of combing operation neutralised two terrorists. An unspecified number of militants fired at the security forces in the area which is close to the historic Jama Masjid, triggering an encounter.
Ten security personnel were injured in the militant attack, a police official said, adding, a CRPF commanding officer injured in the attack later succumbed to injuries.
The attack came just minutes before Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti was to arrive at the Independence Day celebrations at the Bakshee Stadium in Srinagar, located some 4 km from Nowhatta.
In Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi minced no words and blamed Pakistan as the root cause of turbulence in the Valley. He said the time had come to expose the atrocities committed “by our neighbouring nation” in Balochistan and the areas of Jammu and Kashmir under its illegal occupation.