Motorcycle-borne attackers fire at Kulgam checkpost, injure three CRPF personnel

• Three CRPF personnel were injured, one critically, when two motorcycle-borne attackers fired at a checkpost in Kulgam.

• Security forces cordoned off the area near Mir Bazar and launched a search after the attackers fled.

• Investigators are examining CCTV footage, while the injured personnel are receiving treatment in Anantnag.

Three Central Reserve Police Force personnel were injured, one critically, after two motorcycle-borne terrorists opened fire at a checkpost in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Wednesday afternoon, officials said.

The attackers fled after the shooting, triggering a large search operation around Mir Bazar. The attack occurred at about 2.15 pm, roughly a kilometre from the heavily guarded Jammu–Srinagar National Highway.

Security forces sealed off the area, deployed reinforcements and installed additional barricades. Personnel in armoured vehicles were stationed near the checkpost, while loudspeaker announcements asked residents to remain indoors.

The injured personnel were taken to a hospital in Anantnag district, around 22 km from the attack site.

One sustained abdominal wounds and was critically injured, officials said. The other two suffered less serious injuries: one received a grazing bullet wound to an arm, while the other was hit in a foot.

Footage from the hospital showed the wounded personnel being brought in on stretchers as medical teams moved to assist them.

Investigators are examining CCTV recordings from nearby shops and other locations to establish the attackers’ route and identify where they came from.

Footage from the area showed shuttered shops, with repeated gunshots and people shouting audible in the recording.

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha was in Kulgam at the time but was not near the scene of the attack.

The locality lies close to the Pir Panjal mountain range, which links Kulgam with Ramban, Reasi and Rajouri districts in the Jammu division.

Kulgam witnessed another terrorist attack on 31 July, when two labourers from Chhattisgarh were killed at a brick kiln. A police officer was also shot dead in neighbouring Anantnag town in July.

With PTI inputs