Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Aug 12: An Assistant Commandant was among 8 Border Security Force (BSF) men injured in a militant attack last night at Pampore in South Kashmir after they violated Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). In the meantime, militants shot dead a cop in Pulwama district while a rifle of an SOG man has gone missing from his home.
The BSF convoy was returning from Chandanwari in Phalgam towards Pantha Chowk camp in Srinagar after completion of Shri Amarnath Yatra duty. When it reached Pampore, militants opened fire on a BSF bus injuring 8 BSF men.
Three BSF companies that were on Yatra duty left Pahalgam last night for Srinagar, without informing the Joint Control Room at Pahalgam or Police or CRPF. These companies were supposed to leave for Srinagar today but they left last night soon after the Yara was over.
No convoy is allowed to move on the highway without ROP but these companies were travelling on the highway without ROP.
The injured have been identified as Bishan Lal Assistant Commandant of 59 Bn, Constable Sunny Kumar of 59 Bn, Constable Vijay Kumar 59 Bn, Head Constable Manoj 59 Bn, Constable Saurabh Mukhopdhayay of 59 Bn, constable PN Brade of 59 Bn, Head constable Amarpal Singh (Driver) 151 Bn BSF.
The injured were removed to Army’s 92 base hospital for treatment where the condition of Assistant Commandant is said to be critical.
Army, Police and CRPF cordoned off the whole area and launched massive hunt to nab the militants behind the attack.
Militants this evening killed a railway policeman near Malangpora railway track in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district.
Police said gunmen opened fire from a close range on a Head Constable Rajinder Singh (belt no 337/GRP posted at Awantipora Railway Station) while he was performing duty near the Railway track No. 40 in the area.
The Head Constable after receiving two bullets in his leg and one neck and collapsed. A police party and the locals immediately rushed to the spot and found him in a pool of blood.
The Head Constable Rajinder Singh of Kanglora Tral was immediately shifted to nearby hospital where he succumbed.
Soon after the attack, the Army, SOG and CRPF cordoned off the whole Malangpora area to nab the militants.
In the meantime, service rifle of a Special Operation Group (SOG) man was stolen from his family quarter at Tral area in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district last evening.
Police said that Latif Ahmad Gojri who is working with SOG Tral reported to his senior officers that his rifle AK-47 along with a pouch and few magazines had gone missing from his residence.
The SOG man who was appointed as SPO in 2000 and was recently converted into follower in the department was immediately placed under suspension.
Gojri alleged that the rifle was stolen by his neighbour, Sheraz Ahmad who had visited his house last evening. He along with 8 other persons of the area were detained for questioning.
A case has been registered in this regard and the departmental inquiry has also been initiated.
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