A massive search operation to hunt down militants who escaped after a failed attempt to attack an army camp in north Kashmir’s Baramulla town was called off yesterday morning, officials said.
The search which lasted more than six hours, was launched soon after a two-hour gunfight outside the camp of counter-insurgency 46 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) in Janbazpora stopped late Sunday night, a senior police officer said.
“After six hours, the search operation was called off and traffic restored in the area,” he said.
Border Security Force (BSF) constable Nitin Kumar was killed and constable Parminder injured when a group of heavily armed guerrillas attacked the camp on Sunday night.
“The two troopers got suspicious of some movement. When they tried to find out the cause, they were fired upon by militants using grenade-launchers.
One of the grenades exploded, seriously injuring Nitin,” BSF’s Kashmir Frontier Inspector General Vikash Chandra said.
Parminder was hit in his leg.
Despite his injuries, Nitin fired at least 20 rounds while Parminder fired 48 rounds.
“Nitin Kumar succumbed to injuries in a hospital. But we repulsed the attack,” the IG said.
“We have seized a wirecutter, which points towards the terrorists’ intention. They should ideally have been killed, but they escaped due to darkness and ground conditions,” the BSF officer said.
The forces are on high alert to face any eventuality, he said.
Police said that ‘fidayeen’ militants attacked the army camp outpost at around 10.30pm on Sunday. The latest attack comes two weeks after a similar raid killed 19 soldiers and ratcheted up tension between India and Pakistan.
“They used grenades and heavy automatic gunfire as cover in their attempt to enter the camp,” the senior police officer said.