2 jawans, cop die in ambush

Two Army jawans and a J&K policeman were killed and half-a-dozen personnel were injured in a militant ambush in Baramulla town, 58-km northwest of here overnight, officials said here on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, strict curfew is being enforced in Srinagar and other major towns of the Kashmir Valley to hold back the separatists-called “UN Chalo” march on the summer headquarters of the United Nations Military Observers Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) in the city’s posh Sonwar area. They had also asked the people to stage protest sit-ins “wherever possible” during next 72 hours in case the “UN Chalo” march is foiled by the authorities.

Army and police sources said that a joint mobile night patrol of the Army and J&K police was ambushed by militants in the town’s Khawaja Bagh area, killing two Army jawans, Jai Ghosh and Shakti Singh, and one policeman, Prithi Pal Singh, and injuring three soldiers, Pawan Kumar, P.K. Das and V. Laxman and special police officer Nazir Ahmed.

Army and J&K police reinforcements laid siege to a vast area around the scene of occurrence and started searches for the assailants. But a police officer posted at the district headquarters said that the militants are believed to have fled the area soon after carrying out the attack.

The officer also said that the local police had received inputs about two to three militants roaming around the area.

Meanwhile, night curfew has been imposed on Srinagar and some other Valley towns. The move has been prompted by the militant ambush in Baramulla and the increasing incidence of parts of Kashmir witnessing nocturnal protests and streets clashes, the official sources said.

Hizb-ul-Mujahedin claimed responsibility for carrying out the attack. Its chief spokesperson Burhanuddin telephoned mediapersons in Srinagar also to say that the outfit’s deputy chief (operations) Saifullah Khalid has said that such attacks against security forces will be “intensified” in coming days.

Official sources said that keeping in view the ambush and also the increasing incidence of parts of Kashmir witnessing nocturnal protests and streets clashes, the authorities are contemplating to enforce night curfew in the Valley.

Police sources said clashes between stone-pelting mobs and security forces took place at about two dozen places across the Valley including in the districts of Baramulla, Kupwara, Bandipore, Pulwama, Kluge\\, Anantnag and Srinagar. Also peaceful protests by surging crowds were reported from some areas including in South Kashmir.