Three Border Security Force (BSF) personnel were killed and eight others wounded when militants attacked their convoy at Bijbehara town in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district on Friday. Pro-Pakistan outfit Hizbul Mujahideen claimed responsibility for the attack and warned of similar attacks in the future. J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti condemned the attack.
The attack came two days after Mehbooba Mufti filed nomination papers to contest the June 21 bypoll from Anantnag Assembly constituency. The seat fell vacant after the demise of her father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed who died in New Delhi on January 7. The site of the attack is barely a kilometre from Mufti’s residence at Baba Mohalla.
Sources said a group of militants opened indiscriminate fire at a BSF convoy around 4 pm near. The attackers were two to three in number, held a vantage position on a plateau behind the Government hospital building, a senior police officer told The Pioneer. “The attack was so sudden, accurate and fierce that it resulted into several casualties,” he said.
A bus carrying Srinagar-bound BSF personnel bore the entire brunt of the attack, eyewitnesses said. Then driver of the bus lost control and it rammed into a wayside tree.
“At least two BSF personnel died on the spot,” the official said. The wounded personnel were immediately shifted to hospital where another soldier succumbed to injuries. Four critically wounded personnel were airlifted to Army’s Base Hospital in Srinagar for advanced treatment. The slain BSF men have been identified as head-constable Giresh Shukla and constables Dinesh Giri and Mohinder Ram.
Sources said the attackers fled from the encounter site after engaging the security forces in a brief encounter. Following the attack, a large contingent of police, Army and CRPF men cordoned off the area to track down militants involved in the attack.
This is the major attack on security forces after the highway attack on BSF in Pampore during the month of February. The attackers later took positions in Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI )and engaged the security forces for a prolonged gun-battle for 3 days. Seven persons including two captain-rank para commandos, 3 militants and a civilian were killed in the gunfight.
Spokesperson of the outfit Burhanuddin told a local news agency CNS that such attacks will continue till ‘Indian occupation of Kashmir.’
The Chief Minister condemned the attack and spoke to DG BSF KK Sharma to express her anguish over the death of BSF personnel in the attack.
“Such senseless attack is a desperate attempt by the elements inimical to peace to derail the peace efforts of the Government and subvert the rejuvenating economic activity in the State,” the Chief Minister said in a statement.
Mehbooba said the elements inimical to interests of Jammu & Kashmir have always tried to derail the peace efforts and the latest militant strike at Bijbehara was again aimed at subverting the peace and development initiatives launched by the Government.
“These elements have always been inimical to the interests of Jammu & Kashmir and have tried to derail any peace effort initiated in the larger interest of the people of the State and the region,” she said and added that such dastardly attacks and senseless killings have only brought miseries to the people and tragedies for the victim families, both security forces personnel and the civilians.
“The only purpose of such gory acts seems to be to keep the turmoil in the State on and the latest attack is again aimed at vitiating the atmosphere,” she said.