Asstt Comdt CRPF among 3 injured in militant attacks

Fayaz Bukhari

SRINAGAR, May 6: An Assistant Commandant of para-military Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and a paramilitary and a military personnel were injured this evening in two separate militant attacks at restive Sopore town in North Kashmir that goes to vote tomorrow in the final phase of Parliamentary elections in the State.
Earlier, in the morning a bomb went off in a school in Sopore area while protesters attacked police and para-military forces at several places forcing the authorities to delay the dispatch of the poll staff to these troubled areas.
“Two CRPF men, including an officer, were injured when militants attacked our men in Sopore this evening. The injured have been evacuated to hospital”, CRPF spokesman Kishore Prasad said.
The injured Assistant Commandant has been identified as Manoj Kumar and the CPRF man as K Sujan while the injured Army man has been identified as Suresh Kumar of 22 Rashtriya Rifles.
The attack took place near the State Bank of India, Sopore on 179 CRPF where Army was also deployed. Militants fled after carrying out the attack.
Army’s 22 RR, CRPF and police have launched a search operation to nab the militants responsible for the attack.
A Police spokesman, however, said: “An incident of firing has been reported from Sopore. Two personnel of 179 battalion of CRPF have got injury in their legs. Police are looking into it whether it is a misfire or a militant fire.”
Barely an hour after the attack at SBI in Sopore, militants fired at a CRPF patrol at Dangarpora. However, there were no reports of any causality.
Earlier, in the morning a bomb exploded inside a Government school in Watergam village of Sopora. A police spokesman, however, said that it was a patrol bomb and there was no designated Patrolling Booth inside the school. Army, police and CRPF immediately cordoned off the area and conducted searches. However, no one was arrested.
Sources said that police fired in air and fired several tear gas shells after they were attacked by protesters with stones in Palhalan area of Baramulla district. Stone pelting was also reported from Sopore, Tarzua, Baramulla, Nadihal, Hajan, Bandipora. The stone pelters fought ding dong battles with police during which police fired tear gas shells at protesters to disperse them.
Polling staff in these places had failed to reach the polling stations due to tension till late night. However, Returning Officer of the constituency, Farooq Ahmad Lone said: “The poll staff is ready and once the stone pelting and protests stop, they will move in. They will be there waiting for voters 2 hours before voting starts in the morning.”
Yesterday, fearing trouble 61 polling booths were relocated for security reasons by the Election Commission of India. “These polling booths were located in the sensitive localities of Baramulla, Sopore and Pattan towns. The areas where these polling booths were located were prone to stone pelting and protests”, said Lone.
The Returning Officer said: “Over 30, 000 police and para-military forces are on poll duty to ensure smooth polls and deal with the law and problems. Besides this, Army is also sensitizing the areas to put pressure on the militants.”
The Army, police and CRPF is patrolling the sensitive areas to prevent any militant strikes against the security forces or polling staff.
In the meantime, former Deputy Chief Minister of the State and candidate for People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Muzzaffar Hussain Baig got shot in the arm after a day before polling an Independent candidate withdrew from the contest in his favour.
Abdul Hamid Malik withdrew from the elections in favour of PDP candidate Muzzafar Hussain Baig, a PDP spokesman said. “Malik later joined PDP in presence of the party’s senior leader Mohammad Ashraf Mir at Dak Banglow in Handwara,” the spokesman added.
The main contest in the constituency is between Baig and NC candidate and sitting MP, Sharif-ud-Din Shariq. However, Salamudin Bajad of People’s Conference can also get a major vote share.
The Returning Officer of Baramulla constituency, Farooq Lone said that elaborate arrangements have been made for smooth, free and fair polls in the constituency.
Lone said that the polling material and staff was dispatched to their destinations from distribution centers and the process concluded early afternoon. Adequate transportation and communication plans were made for the purpose.
Polling parties to some remote areas like Karnah, Machil and Kumkadi in Kupwara district and Gurez, Tulail in Bandipora districts stand were dispatched yesterday.
Lone said that in 14 zonal and 109 sectoral magistrates have been designated to ensure peaceful and smooth polling in the district.
Fifteen candidates are in fray including candidates of National Conference, People’s Democratic Party, BJP, People’s Conference, Awami Ittehad Party, Panthers Party and Bahujan Samaj Party besides some independents.
Lone said that 11, 90, 766 voters including 6, 22,632 males and 5,66,460 females would exercise their franchise across the constituency. This includes 5, 83,753 voters of Baramulla, 2, 11,967 voters of Bandipora and 3, 93,400 voters of Kupwara districts. There are 18,257 migrant voters included in these figures spread over the three districts of Baramulla 8307, Kupwara 8468 and Bandipora 1482.
The Returning Office said that to facilitate these voters exercise their franchise, 1616 polling booths have been set up across the constituency at 1303 locations. This includes 822 polling booths in Baramulla district, 531 polling booths in Kupwara district and 263 in Bandipora district.
Lone said that the Election Commission of India has deputed two General Observers Murli Krishna and Pravesh Kumar, one Security Observer Maddyreddy Pratap and one Expenditure Observer Mahipal Singh to monitor free and fair polling in the constituency.
Meanwhile, militants tonight attacked security forces in Tral area of South Kashmir and they returned the fire but militants fled under the cover of darkness.
Deputy Inspector General of Police, South Kashmir, Vijay Kumar, told Excelsior that an ambush party of Army’s 33 RR and police was fired at by militants tonight in Tral area. He said that Police and Army had laid ambush in the fields near village Dadsar and militants fired few rounds at the ambush party. The security forces returned the fire, however, no causality was reported.
Kumar said that security forces will conduct searches of the area in the morning to ascertain whether there are any causality of militants or not.

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