Three Central Reserve Police Force personnel were injured after motorcycle-borne attackers opened fire at a security checkpoint in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Wednesday afternoon, with the injured troopers returning fire and pursuing the assailants, according to a government source cited by ANI and reported by the Times of India.
The incident occurred at about 2.15pm at a naka, or security checkpoint, located around 4km from the National Highway. The attackers fired at CRPF personnel deployed at the checkpoint before fleeing the area, according to the CRPF. A multi-agency operation was subsequently launched to identify and apprehend those involved.
The three injured personnel were shifted to Government Medical College, Anantnag, for treatment. They were identified as Head Constable Somveer Singh and Constables Rakesh Dass and Santosh Chandru. Singh, who is from Madhya Pradesh, sustained a bullet injury to his arm, while Dass, a resident of Assam, was injured in the leg. Both were reported to be stable.
Chandru, who is from West Bengal, suffered injuries to his abdomen and spine and was described by officials as being slightly serious. The report did not provide a further medical update on the three personnel.
A government source with knowledge of the incident said the police and CRPF deployment at the checkpoint had been made based on intelligence inputs about the suspected movement of adversaries. The source said the deployment and the personnel’s response helped prevent the attackers from causing greater casualties or damage.
“Despite being surprised and injured in the attack, all three personnel fired back and chased the attackers,” the source said, according to ANI. The attackers were forced to retreat from the spot without achieving their intended objectives, the source added.
The account provided by the government source described the response as a combination of prior deployment and immediate retaliation after the checkpoint came under sudden fire. The CRPF confirmed that the attackers had targeted personnel stationed at the naka, while officials said security forces had begun operations to track them.
The incident places attention on the operational vulnerability of roadside security checkpoints, where personnel are required to monitor movement while remaining exposed to sudden attacks. In this case, the checkpoint’s location near the National Highway formed part of the security deployment in Kulgam, although officials did not disclose further details about the naka’s layout or the intelligence inputs.
The attackers’ identities and the motive behind the assault had not been publicly established in the supplied report. Security forces were continuing operations to identify and apprehend those involved, while the condition of the injured personnel remained under medical observation.
