Kulgam, Nov 14 (KNO): The massive search operation to track down the terrorists involved in the firing on a party of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district continued for the fourth consecutive day on Saturday.
An official told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that dog squads were pressed into service to assist search teams. Security has also been tightened along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway and adjoining areas to prevent any suspicious movement.
Meanwhile, Director General of Police (DGP) J&K, Nalin Prabhat visited multiple ongoing operation sites in Kulgam today and reviewed the security situation in the aftermath of the Kulgam terror attack, that left three CRPF personnel injured.
During the visit, the DGP interacted with officers deployed on the ground, took stock of the ongoing search operations and issued directions to strengthen the security grid and intensify counter-insurgency operations in the district.
Meanwhile, CRPF Director General Gyanendra Pratap Singh chaired an operational conference at the Group Centre CRPF in Srinagar to review the prevailing security situation and operational preparedness across Kashmir.
According to a CRPF statement, the conference was attended by senior officers, including SDG (Operations) Vitul Kumar, SDG J&K Zone Sandeep Khirwar, IG Operations Kashmir Sector Vineet Brijlal, IG Srinagar Sector Pawan Kumar Sharma and ground commanders of Valley-based CRPF units.
During the meeting, the DG directed senior officers to intensify counter-insurgency operations across the Valley, strengthen the security grid, improve real-time coordination among security forces and maintain heightened operational readiness to neutralise terrorist elements and dismantle their support networks.
The conference also reviewed strategies for sustained and intensified counter-insurgency operations across the region.
Pertinently, on Wednesday, three CRPF personnel were injured when terrorists opened fire on a security checkpoint near Nowpora Akhran in Kulgam district. One of the injured personnel was airlifted to Srinagar for specialised medical treatment.
Since the attack, security forces have intensified search operations across several villages in the district.
Around 500 suspected overground workers (OGWs) have reportedly been questioned as part of the investigation.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has also joined the investigation and is collecting evidence from the attack site. Security agencies have expanded surveillance and intensified searches to track down the attackers and identify their possible support network—(KNO)