News Analysis India

Tag: CRPF

  • Security forces conduct search operation in J-K village

    By PTI

    JAMMU:  Security forces on Monday carried out a search operation in a village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district following a tip-off about the movement of some suspicious persons, officials said.

    A resident of Purani village noticed the movement of at least three suspicious people in the early hours and shared the information with the police, they said.

    The police, assisted by the Army and the CRPF, immediately set up a cordon and conducted house-to-house searches but did not find any suspicious people, the officials said.

    Local residents claimed that this was the second time in a fortnight that the movement of suspicious people under the cover of darkness have been picked up by a villager.

    They also demanded a permanent security post in the village for protection.

    Security forces are on high alert in Poonch and nearby Rajouri districts following three separate terror attacks that left 10 soldiers and seven civilians dead since January.

    JAMMU:  Security forces on Monday carried out a search operation in a village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district following a tip-off about the movement of some suspicious persons, officials said.

    A resident of Purani village noticed the movement of at least three suspicious people in the early hours and shared the information with the police, they said.

    The police, assisted by the Army and the CRPF, immediately set up a cordon and conducted house-to-house searches but did not find any suspicious people, the officials said.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Local residents claimed that this was the second time in a fortnight that the movement of suspicious people under the cover of darkness have been picked up by a villager.

    They also demanded a permanent security post in the village for protection.

    Security forces are on high alert in Poonch and nearby Rajouri districts following three separate terror attacks that left 10 soldiers and seven civilians dead since January.

  • First woman inspector general of CRPF completes tenure in central Kashmir

    Express News Service

    SRINAGAR: The first woman Inspector General (IGP) of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Srinagar, Charu Sinha, concluded her two and a half years tenure in central Kashmir.

    Sinha has been transferred to Hyderabad.

    Sinha headed the CRPF’s Srinagar sector comprising three central Kashmir districts — Srinagar, Budgam, and Garnderbal.

    Before being appointed as IG CRPF in Srinagar on September 2020, Sinha, the 1996-batch IPS officer, had served in Bihar, where she handled anti-Naxal operations.

    During her tenure, the paramilitary personnel posted in the Valley were taught the basics of Kashmiri language to have more interface with the local people.

    Besides, the paramilitary personnel started using shoe covers in searches of residential houses in the Valley during anti-militancy operations.

    “The decision on the use of shoe covers by CRPF men during searches of residential houses was taken to respect the local sentiments,” Charu Sinha had told The New Indian Express.

    According to the CRPF spokesman, Sinha was instrumental in bringing a sense of harmony to the local community and contributed immensely towards security and peace in the region.

    “During her tenure, she directed CRPF operations with utmost sensitivity towards local sensibilities,” he said. “Citizen friendly attitude of CRPF remained central to her tenure in Central Kashmir.”

    The spokesman said her efforts in fostering strong relationships with the local community have helped build trust and cooperation between CRPF and the local population.

    “People of this region have been incredibly supportive, and we have been able to establish a strong foundation of trust and cooperation. I am confident that my successor will build upon our success and continue to work towards a safer and more secure future for the people of this region,” Sinha said.

    Sinha expressed hope that the people of Kashmir, with their inherent zest for a spirited way of life, will keep ushering themselves toward an era of unending peace and tranquility.

    SRINAGAR: The first woman Inspector General (IGP) of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Srinagar, Charu Sinha, concluded her two and a half years tenure in central Kashmir.

    Sinha has been transferred to Hyderabad.

    Sinha headed the CRPF’s Srinagar sector comprising three central Kashmir districts — Srinagar, Budgam, and Garnderbal.

    Before being appointed as IG CRPF in Srinagar on September 2020, Sinha, the 1996-batch IPS officer, had served in Bihar, where she handled anti-Naxal operations.

    During her tenure, the paramilitary personnel posted in the Valley were taught the basics of Kashmiri language to have more interface with the local people.

    Besides, the paramilitary personnel started using shoe covers in searches of residential houses in the Valley during anti-militancy operations.

    “The decision on the use of shoe covers by CRPF men during searches of residential houses was taken to respect the local sentiments,” Charu Sinha had told The New Indian Express.

    According to the CRPF spokesman, Sinha was instrumental in bringing a sense of harmony to the local community and contributed immensely towards security and peace in the region.

    “During her tenure, she directed CRPF operations with utmost sensitivity towards local sensibilities,” he said. “Citizen friendly attitude of CRPF remained central to her tenure in Central Kashmir.”

    The spokesman said her efforts in fostering strong relationships with the local community have helped build trust and cooperation between CRPF and the local population.

    “People of this region have been incredibly supportive, and we have been able to establish a strong foundation of trust and cooperation. I am confident that my successor will build upon our success and continue to work towards a safer and more secure future for the people of this region,” Sinha said.

    Sinha expressed hope that the people of Kashmir, with their inherent zest for a spirited way of life, will keep ushering themselves toward an era of unending peace and tranquility.

  • Srinagar-Jammu nat’l highway on security alert 4 yrs after Pulwama

    Express News Service

    SRINAGAR:  After the February 14, 2019 Pulwama militant attack, in which 40 paramilitary CRPF men were killed, security agencies are focussing to secure the key Srinagar-Jammu national highway to avert any big attacks by militants. IG CRPF Kashmir Operations M S Bhatia said the national highway in Kashmir is being kept under round the clock surveillance by security forces.

    In Kashmir, the national highway passes through south Kashmir districts of Kulgam, Anantnag and Pulwama to connect Srinagar with Jammu. “We have got 24×7 CCTV surveillance of the highway. Besides, there are 12 permanent security posts on the highway. The round the clock surveillance of the highway is being conducted and feed of the CCTV is being continuously monitored,” Bhatia said. The drones and UAVs, he said, are also being used for the security and surveillance.

    On February 14, a Jaish suicide bomber Aadil Dar rammed his explosive laden vehicle with a CRPF convoy at Lethpora, Pulwama on national highway in south Kashmir killing 40 paramilitary personnel and injuring over a dozen others.

    The IG CRPF said the bomb disposal squads armed with deep search metal detectors and dog squads are also deployed for round the clock surveillance. The strategic Srinagar-Jammu national highway is the only link road connecting Kashmir with the rest of the country. The Valley depends on highway for the supplies.

    The highway is key for the movement of security forces and security hardware to militancy-hit Kashmir and Ladakh. Another security official said after the 2019 Pulwama attack, the thrust of security forces has remained securing the Srinagar-Jammu national highway stretch from Srinagar to Qazigund in south Kashmir. He said appropriate security measures have been put in place to secure the highway and prevent any sabotage and foil any big militant attack.

    After the Feb 14 attack, the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) were revised and many changes incorporated for safety and security of the highway. “Prior to the Feb 2019 attack, civilian vehicles were allowed to ply during the movement of security convoys but now civilian movement is disallowed during the movement of security convoys,” the security official said. He, however, said if any civilian vehicle moves due to an emergency, the information of the vehicle is shared with the nearest posts.

    SRINAGAR:  After the February 14, 2019 Pulwama militant attack, in which 40 paramilitary CRPF men were killed, security agencies are focussing to secure the key Srinagar-Jammu national highway to avert any big attacks by militants. IG CRPF Kashmir Operations M S Bhatia said the national highway in Kashmir is being kept under round the clock surveillance by security forces.

    In Kashmir, the national highway passes through south Kashmir districts of Kulgam, Anantnag and Pulwama to connect Srinagar with Jammu. “We have got 24×7 CCTV surveillance of the highway. Besides, there are 12 permanent security posts on the highway. The round the clock surveillance of the highway is being conducted and feed of the CCTV is being continuously monitored,” Bhatia said. The drones and UAVs, he said, are also being used for the security and surveillance.

    On February 14, a Jaish suicide bomber Aadil Dar rammed his explosive laden vehicle with a CRPF convoy at Lethpora, Pulwama on national highway in south Kashmir killing 40 paramilitary personnel and injuring over a dozen others.

    The IG CRPF said the bomb disposal squads armed with deep search metal detectors and dog squads are also deployed for round the clock surveillance. The strategic Srinagar-Jammu national highway is the only link road connecting Kashmir with the rest of the country. The Valley depends on highway for the supplies.

    The highway is key for the movement of security forces and security hardware to militancy-hit Kashmir and Ladakh. Another security official said after the 2019 Pulwama attack, the thrust of security forces has remained securing the Srinagar-Jammu national highway stretch from Srinagar to Qazigund in south Kashmir. He said appropriate security measures have been put in place to secure the highway and prevent any sabotage and foil any big militant attack.

    After the Feb 14 attack, the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) were revised and many changes incorporated for safety and security of the highway. “Prior to the Feb 2019 attack, civilian vehicles were allowed to ply during the movement of security convoys but now civilian movement is disallowed during the movement of security convoys,” the security official said. He, however, said if any civilian vehicle moves due to an emergency, the information of the vehicle is shared with the nearest posts.

  • Over 83,000 posts vacant in Central Armed Police Forces: Centre

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: With over 83,000 vacancies, India’s Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) are facing a shortage of manpower, according to the government. 

    The forces in which the posts are lying vacant are Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and Assam Rifles.

    MoS Home Affairs Nityanand Rai on Wednesday informed the parliament that as many as 83,217 posts in the CAPF were vacant as of Jan. 1, 2023, against a total sanctioned strength of 10,15,237. The shortage of manpower since 2019 stands at 8 per cent of the total sanctioned strength. With 29,283 vacancies, the CRPF suffered from the highest shortage of personnel.

    Rai said the government has been taking measures to fill the vacancies, adding, “The recruitment is being undertaken in mission mode to fill these vacancies and it is planned to be completed in 2023.”

    “It may also be mentioned that 32,181 personnel have been recruited between July 2022 to January 2023. Further, 64,444 vacancies have been notified and are at different stages of recruitment,” he added.

    Sources within the CAPFs said that the peculiarity of the service conditions requires maintaining a minimum force level every time and that the scarcity of personnel affects the Units the most.

    “Keeping the service conditions and deployments we cannot let the number of personnel present in a Unit come down from a minimum number. And, the duties of those not in the Unit have to be perforce carried out by those in the Unit and this leads to additional work to every person,” a source informed TNIE.

    Meanwhile, the number of women personnel in the CAPFs and the ARs has been consistently increasing during the same period. In 2019, as many as 27,047 (2.9 per cent) of 9.12 lakh personnel in service were women. The number has now risen to 3.82 per cent, with at least 35,074 women in service from a total of 9.16 lakh personnel. 

    The CAPFs function under the administrative control of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Of the CAPFs, AR, BSF, ITBP and SSB help guard the country’s border, while, the CRPF is deployed for internal security duties, maintenance of law and order and anti-militancy operations in Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast.

    NEW DELHI: With over 83,000 vacancies, India’s Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) are facing a shortage of manpower, according to the government. 

    The forces in which the posts are lying vacant are Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and Assam Rifles.

    MoS Home Affairs Nityanand Rai on Wednesday informed the parliament that as many as 83,217 posts in the CAPF were vacant as of Jan. 1, 2023, against a total sanctioned strength of 10,15,237. The shortage of manpower since 2019 stands at 8 per cent of the total sanctioned strength. With 29,283 vacancies, the CRPF suffered from the highest shortage of personnel.

    Rai said the government has been taking measures to fill the vacancies, adding, “The recruitment is being undertaken in mission mode to fill these vacancies and it is planned to be completed in 2023.”

    “It may also be mentioned that 32,181 personnel have been recruited between July 2022 to January 2023. Further, 64,444 vacancies have been notified and are at different stages of recruitment,” he added.

    Sources within the CAPFs said that the peculiarity of the service conditions requires maintaining a minimum force level every time and that the scarcity of personnel affects the Units the most.

    “Keeping the service conditions and deployments we cannot let the number of personnel present in a Unit come down from a minimum number. And, the duties of those not in the Unit have to be perforce carried out by those in the Unit and this leads to additional work to every person,” a source informed TNIE.

    Meanwhile, the number of women personnel in the CAPFs and the ARs has been consistently increasing during the same period. In 2019, as many as 27,047 (2.9 per cent) of 9.12 lakh personnel in service were women. The number has now risen to 3.82 per cent, with at least 35,074 women in service from a total of 9.16 lakh personnel. 

    The CAPFs function under the administrative control of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Of the CAPFs, AR, BSF, ITBP and SSB help guard the country’s border, while, the CRPF is deployed for internal security duties, maintenance of law and order and anti-militancy operations in Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast.

  • Over 2,000 CRPF personnel being deployed in Rajouri, Poonch

    By PTI

    JAMMU: In a bid to enhance security setup in the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch, authorities on Wednesday are deploying more than 2,000 CRPF personnel to secure minority areas in the region, officials said.

    The development comes in view of twin terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district in which six people of a minority community including two children were killed and 11 others were injured.

    Over 20 CRPF companies comprising more than 2,000 personnel are being deployed for strengthening security in Rajouri and Poonch districts, an officer told PTI.

    The Inspector General of CRPF and other top officers are supervising the deployment of the troops, he said. He said the security deployment is going on.

    It is being done for the security of minority areas in Rajouri and Poonch.

    There is a huge cry from the minority community people over the security of their areas in border districts after the Rajouri attack.

    Two children were killed and six people were injured in an IED explosion on Monday near the house of one of the victims in Dangri village, officials said.

    On Sunday evening, terrorists opened fire on three houses of a minority community in the area in Rajouri district killing four civilians and injuring six.

    JAMMU: In a bid to enhance security setup in the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch, authorities on Wednesday are deploying more than 2,000 CRPF personnel to secure minority areas in the region, officials said.

    The development comes in view of twin terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district in which six people of a minority community including two children were killed and 11 others were injured.

    Over 20 CRPF companies comprising more than 2,000 personnel are being deployed for strengthening security in Rajouri and Poonch districts, an officer told PTI.

    The Inspector General of CRPF and other top officers are supervising the deployment of the troops, he said. He said the security deployment is going on.

    It is being done for the security of minority areas in Rajouri and Poonch.

    There is a huge cry from the minority community people over the security of their areas in border districts after the Rajouri attack.

    Two children were killed and six people were injured in an IED explosion on Monday near the house of one of the victims in Dangri village, officials said.

    On Sunday evening, terrorists opened fire on three houses of a minority community in the area in Rajouri district killing four civilians and injuring six.

  • CRPF commandant held for sexually harassing woman officer in J-K’s Udhampur, gets bail

    By PTI

    UDHAMPUR/JAMMU: A commandant of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was arrested on the charge of sexually harassing a woman officer of the force in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district, officials said on Monday.

    A complaint was registered on Sunday in which an assistant commandant of a CRPF unit at Battal Ballian alleged that commandant Surinder Singh Rana was sexually and mentally harassing her, they said.

    Based on the complaint, an FIR number was lodged against the commandant under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 354-A (making sexually coloured remarks -guilty of the offence of sexual harassment), 354-D (sexual favour shall mean and include any kind of unwanted sexual activity), 509 (intentional insult) at the Udhampur police station.

    Udhampur Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) Vinood Kumar told PTI that the accused CRPF commandant was arrested by police and later court released him on bail.

    The matter is being investigated, the SSP added.

    UDHAMPUR/JAMMU: A commandant of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was arrested on the charge of sexually harassing a woman officer of the force in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district, officials said on Monday.

    A complaint was registered on Sunday in which an assistant commandant of a CRPF unit at Battal Ballian alleged that commandant Surinder Singh Rana was sexually and mentally harassing her, they said.

    Based on the complaint, an FIR number was lodged against the commandant under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 354-A (making sexually coloured remarks -guilty of the offence of sexual harassment), 354-D (sexual favour shall mean and include any kind of unwanted sexual activity), 509 (intentional insult) at the Udhampur police station.

    Udhampur Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) Vinood Kumar told PTI that the accused CRPF commandant was arrested by police and later court released him on bail.

    The matter is being investigated, the SSP added.

  • CRPF, ITBP gets new chiefs

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officers Sujoy Lal Thaosen and Anish Dayal Singh have been appointed as the new director generals of the CRPF and CRPFrespectively, a government order said Saturday.

    Thaosen, a 1988-batch officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, is currently working as the director general (DG) of the border guarding force Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and holding the additional charge of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police.

    The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) DG post fell vacant on Friday after IPS officer Kuldiep Singh (1986-batch) retired.

    Anish Dayal Singh, a 1988-batch officer (Manipur cadre), is currently serving as a special director in the Intelligence Bureau.

    Thaosen’s scheduled retirement is in November this year, while Singh will superannuate in December 2024.

    The order for their appointment was issued by the Personnel Ministry after sanction from the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by the prime minister.

    NEW DELHI: Senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officers Sujoy Lal Thaosen and Anish Dayal Singh have been appointed as the new director generals of the CRPF and CRPFrespectively, a government order said Saturday.

    Thaosen, a 1988-batch officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, is currently working as the director general (DG) of the border guarding force Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and holding the additional charge of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police.

    The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) DG post fell vacant on Friday after IPS officer Kuldiep Singh (1986-batch) retired.

    Anish Dayal Singh, a 1988-batch officer (Manipur cadre), is currently serving as a special director in the Intelligence Bureau.

    Thaosen’s scheduled retirement is in November this year, while Singh will superannuate in December 2024.

    The order for their appointment was issued by the Personnel Ministry after sanction from the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by the prime minister.

  • Post Afghanistan, foreign terrorist numbers up in JK; overall numbers below 200: CRPF DG

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI:  An uptick has been noticed in the number of foreign terrorists operating in Jammu and Kashmir post the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan but the overall strength of militants in the valley is low and can be capped below 200, outgoing CRPF DG Kuldiep Singh said on Thursday.

    He said all the security forces operating in Kashmir are working in a coordinated manner and terrorist incidents have gone down post the abrogation of Article 370 from the erstwhile state in 2019.

    The CRPF director general, during a press conference, was asked about the killing of locals and Kashmiri Pandits by unknown and unseen terrorists to which he said that it was a “challenge” but all the forces were effectively tackling it.

    “This is a challenge. After Afghanistan, this challenge has grown in many forms and you can see it. Also, the number of foreign terrorists goes up and sometimes down. However, the total number of terrorists in J&K is less now.  It is under 200 now as compared to the earlier times when it used to be 230-240,” Singh said.

    The Taliban took over the reins of Afghanistan in August last year. The officer, from the 1986 batch of the Indian Police Service (IPS) of West Bengal cadre, had taken charge as the CRPF DG last year in March. He will retire from service on Friday.

    He said there is a “great threat” of ‘sticky bombs’ when it comes to the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir but all the forces deployed there rose to it and ensured an incident-free Amarnath Yatra that concluded in August.

    Talking about the challenge of taking out the stipulated one unit (called a company comprising about 70-80 personnel) from each battalion for training, rest and recuperation annually, the DG said this issue was a challenge and they “try to do it but cannot do it always”.

    We also take up with the home ministry that training companies should not be touched…so we keep trying for that and in case we cannot, we get the training done for the troops locally within their own battalion, he said.

    Singh said the CRPF has got about 200 vehicles plated with bullet-resistant material for operational use in Jammu and Kashmir and Naxal violence-affected areas while 125 armoured vehicles have been procured for the troops.

    The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is the country’s largest paramilitary with an estimated strength of about 3.25 lakh personnel.

    It is designated as the lead internal security force with its main operational theatres being Left Wing Extremism affected states, counter-terrorist combat in the Kashmir valley and counter-insurgency operations in the northeast.

    NEW DELHI:  An uptick has been noticed in the number of foreign terrorists operating in Jammu and Kashmir post the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan but the overall strength of militants in the valley is low and can be capped below 200, outgoing CRPF DG Kuldiep Singh said on Thursday.

    He said all the security forces operating in Kashmir are working in a coordinated manner and terrorist incidents have gone down post the abrogation of Article 370 from the erstwhile state in 2019.

    The CRPF director general, during a press conference, was asked about the killing of locals and Kashmiri Pandits by unknown and unseen terrorists to which he said that it was a “challenge” but all the forces were effectively tackling it.

    “This is a challenge. After Afghanistan, this challenge has grown in many forms and you can see it. Also, the number of foreign terrorists goes up and sometimes down. However, the total number of terrorists in J&K is less now.  It is under 200 now as compared to the earlier times when it used to be 230-240,” Singh said.

    The Taliban took over the reins of Afghanistan in August last year. The officer, from the 1986 batch of the Indian Police Service (IPS) of West Bengal cadre, had taken charge as the CRPF DG last year in March. He will retire from service on Friday.

    He said there is a “great threat” of ‘sticky bombs’ when it comes to the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir but all the forces deployed there rose to it and ensured an incident-free Amarnath Yatra that concluded in August.

    Talking about the challenge of taking out the stipulated one unit (called a company comprising about 70-80 personnel) from each battalion for training, rest and recuperation annually, the DG said this issue was a challenge and they “try to do it but cannot do it always”.

    We also take up with the home ministry that training companies should not be touched…so we keep trying for that and in case we cannot, we get the training done for the troops locally within their own battalion, he said.

    Singh said the CRPF has got about 200 vehicles plated with bullet-resistant material for operational use in Jammu and Kashmir and Naxal violence-affected areas while 125 armoured vehicles have been procured for the troops.

    The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is the country’s largest paramilitary with an estimated strength of about 3.25 lakh personnel.

    It is designated as the lead internal security force with its main operational theatres being Left Wing Extremism affected states, counter-terrorist combat in the Kashmir valley and counter-insurgency operations in the northeast.

  • CRPF jawan injured in gun-battle with Maoists in Jharkhand 

    By PTI

    CHATRA (Jharkhand):  A CRPF jawan was injured in a gunfight between security forces and Maoists in Jharkhand’s Chatra district on Sunday, police said.

    The injured personnel, identified as Chitranjan Kumar, was airlifted to Ranchi for better treatment. He received bullet injuries on his leg and waist, a police officer said.

    He claimed four Maoists also received bullet injuries during the operation but the red rebels managed to escape the spot.

    The encounter took place in Birmatkum forest in Pratappur Police Station area.

    Acting on a tip-off about the presence of 15-20 Maoists of Manohar Ganjhu’s squad, a joint team of CRPF and Jharkhand Police personnel launched a combing operation in the area, during which a gun-battle with the red rebels started, Chatra Sub-divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Avinash Kumar said.

    “During the exchange of fire, four Maoists, besides the CRPF jawan, were injured. Taking advantage of the thick foliage, the red rebels escaped into dense forests. The forest has been cordoned off and a search operation is underway to nab them,” he said.

    Chatra Superintendent of Police Rakesh Ranjan, and CRPF 190th Battalion Commandant Manoj Kumar also reached the spot.

    In another incident, a gun-battle took place between security forces and Naxalites belonging to the Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad (JJMP) in Latehar Town Police Station Area in the morning, another police officer said.

    JJMP extremists opened indiscriminate firing on a joint team of police and CRPF’s 11th Battalion who were patrolling the area, he said.

    When the security forces returned fire, the extremists escaped into dense forest, leaving behind several arms and ammunition including a bolt action rifle, the officer added.

    CHATRA (Jharkhand):  A CRPF jawan was injured in a gunfight between security forces and Maoists in Jharkhand’s Chatra district on Sunday, police said.

    The injured personnel, identified as Chitranjan Kumar, was airlifted to Ranchi for better treatment. He received bullet injuries on his leg and waist, a police officer said.

    He claimed four Maoists also received bullet injuries during the operation but the red rebels managed to escape the spot.

    The encounter took place in Birmatkum forest in Pratappur Police Station area.

    Acting on a tip-off about the presence of 15-20 Maoists of Manohar Ganjhu’s squad, a joint team of CRPF and Jharkhand Police personnel launched a combing operation in the area, during which a gun-battle with the red rebels started, Chatra Sub-divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Avinash Kumar said.

    “During the exchange of fire, four Maoists, besides the CRPF jawan, were injured. Taking advantage of the thick foliage, the red rebels escaped into dense forests. The forest has been cordoned off and a search operation is underway to nab them,” he said.

    Chatra Superintendent of Police Rakesh Ranjan, and CRPF 190th Battalion Commandant Manoj Kumar also reached the spot.

    In another incident, a gun-battle took place between security forces and Naxalites belonging to the Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad (JJMP) in Latehar Town Police Station Area in the morning, another police officer said.

    JJMP extremists opened indiscriminate firing on a joint team of police and CRPF’s 11th Battalion who were patrolling the area, he said.

    When the security forces returned fire, the extremists escaped into dense forest, leaving behind several arms and ammunition including a bolt action rifle, the officer added.

  • 4 civilians injured in grenade blast outside Srinagar’s Nishat garden: Police

    Express News Service

    SRINAGAR: Four civilians were injured in a low intensity caused by militants grenade attack outside the famed Nishat garden in Srinagar on Sunday evening while a tragedy was averted by timely detection and defusing of a 10-12 Kgs Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in south Kashmir, police said.

    Police in a tweet said there was an incident of grenade throwing in the Nishat area by militants, causing a low-intensity blast.

    The grenade attack took place outside Nishat garden at around 7.30 pm. When the blast took place, lots of people were present in the area.

    In the explosion, four civilians including a three-wheeler driver received minor injuries, a security official said.

    He said they were referred to a nearby hospital, where they were given first aid and discharged.

    Immediately after the grenade attack, police and paramilitary CRPF men rushed to the area and launched a search operation to track down the militants responsible for the grenade attack.

    Meanwhile, police recovered an IED in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district.

    ”On a specific input of police, an IED weighing about 10-12 Kgs was recovered in the Beihgund area of Tral in Pulwama district,”  a police spokesman said.

    He said the explosive device was defused by experts of the bomb disposal squad.

    The timely detection and defusing of the IED averted a major tragedy, the spokesman said.

    SRINAGAR: Four civilians were injured in a low intensity caused by militants grenade attack outside the famed Nishat garden in Srinagar on Sunday evening while a tragedy was averted by timely detection and defusing of a 10-12 Kgs Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in south Kashmir, police said.

    Police in a tweet said there was an incident of grenade throwing in the Nishat area by militants, causing a low-intensity blast.

    The grenade attack took place outside Nishat garden at around 7.30 pm. When the blast took place, lots of people were present in the area.

    In the explosion, four civilians including a three-wheeler driver received minor injuries, a security official said.

    He said they were referred to a nearby hospital, where they were given first aid and discharged.

    Immediately after the grenade attack, police and paramilitary CRPF men rushed to the area and launched a search operation to track down the militants responsible for the grenade attack.

    Meanwhile, police recovered an IED in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district.

    ”On a specific input of police, an IED weighing about 10-12 Kgs was recovered in the Beihgund area of Tral in Pulwama district,”  a police spokesman said.

    He said the explosive device was defused by experts of the bomb disposal squad.

    The timely detection and defusing of the IED averted a major tragedy, the spokesman said.