SRINAGAR: A day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Jammu and Kashmir to inaugurate country’s longest road tunnel on Srinagar-Jammu national highway, militants on Saturday attacked an army convoy near a hospital in Srinagar injuring three soldiers.
Militant outfit Hizbul Mujahideen has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Militants fired from AK-47 rifles towards an army vehicle, which was part of an army convoy, near SKIMS hospital Bemina, about 5 kms from city centre Lal Chowk, at around 1.20 pm.
An army official said the militants fired on the last vehicle of the convoy, which was on its way from North Kashmir to Srinagar.
“They targeted the last army vehicle of the convoy. They fired indiscriminately on the vehicle from one direction. Many bullets hit the windscreen of the vehicle. At least a dozen bullets hit the windscreen.”
The official said the soldiers retaliated with caution. “The army men exercised maximum restraint to avoid any civilian casualties because of presence of large number of civilians in the area.”
He said three army men sustained injuries in the militant attack.
The injured army men were evacuated to military hospital in Srinagar for specialized treatment and their condition is stable, the official said.
Immediately after the attack, police, paramilitary CRPF and army men launched a combing and search operation to track down the militants responsible for the attack. However, no arrests were reported.
Top police and security officials visited the spot to take stock of the situation.
A police official said police has launched investigation to ascertain the identity of the militants involved in the attack.
“We have launched a manhunt to track the militants involved in the attack,” he said.
The militant group Hizbul Mujahideen claimed responsibility for attack.
The operational spokesman of Hizbul, Burhan-ud-din, said militants of the outfit carried out the attack on army convoy.
He claimed that six army men were killed and many others injured in the attack.
“The attack was carried out against Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s visit to the State,” he said.
The attack on army convoy has taken at a time when the security apparatus in the Valley has been heightened for parliamentary bypolls and for Prime Minister’s Narendra Modi’s visit to the State.
PM Modi will visit Jammu, the winter capital of the State, tomorrow to inaugurate the country’s longest and Asia's longest bi-directional road tunnel at Chenani in Udhampur district on Srinagar-Jammu National highway.
He will also address a public rally after inaugurating the 10.89 km long road tunnel built at a cost of Rs 2,519 crores, which will reduce distance between Srinagar and Jammu by 31 kilometers.
The bypolls for Srinagar-Budgam parliamentary seat in Central Kashmir and Anantnag-Pulwama seat in South Kashmir will be held on April 9 and 12 respectively.
In view of the polls, the security personnel are on alert to foil any militant attack on security installations or on contesting candidates.
A police official said after today’s militant attack, security arrangements will be further tightened for PM’s visit to Jammu tomorrow and for bypolls in the Valley.
“Foolproof security arrangements have been put in place for PM’s visit to Jammu tomorrow,” he said.