Timely Tip-off Helped Save Many Lives in Failed Attack on CRPF Camp in Srinagar

New Delhi: A tip-off about the movement of terrorists in Srinagar's downtown area two days ago helped save many lives and minimise damage in the encounter at Karan Nagar on Monday.

According to senior officials supervising the operations, agencies had received a tip-off from their sources about terrorists moving around in parts of the city. Coupled with other alerts of fidayeen attacks, the army, CRPF and the police put their installations on the highest alert, sources said.

"Sometime after the encounter in Jammu's Sunjuwan army camp started, we received information about movement of some Lashkar terrorists in Srinagar. At the same time, through telephone intercepts, we also got to know that the terror group was preparing for a big fidayeen attack. This is what made us put all our installations and other vital installations in the valley on a very high alert," a senior police officer told News18.

Unlike what happened in Sunjuwan camp in Jammu, as soon as the terrorists tried to sneak into the Karan Nagar CRPF camp, the alert sentry there immediately engaged them in a gun battle and managed to keep them away from the camp and confined in a limited area.

An elderly woman being rescued by the police near the site of gun battle between the security forces personnel and militants at Karan Nagar, in Srinagar on Monday. (PTI Photo by S Irfan)

The paramilitary force has been congratulated by the home ministry and by the Jammu and Kashmir DGP for their handling of Monday's operations. One CRPF soldier died in the gun battle.

The fidayeen attack on Monday was the first carried out by Lashkar after its commander Naveed Jutt, managed to escape from police custody by killing two policemen on February 8.

According to information available with security agencies, Jutt is already on the move in the valley, and has been spotted at various places in Kulgam and Shopian. He was the deputy chief of Lashkar's operations in the valley in 2014 when he was captured alive by the forces.

Security agencies suspect that Jutt is coordinating a big attack by the terror groups, all of who have joined forces after police's offensive against them in 2017.

Owing to the multiple attacks on security forces deployed in J&K - on army's camp in Sunjuwan and CRPF's camp in Karan Nagar - the Home Minister has called for an emergency meeting with his advisors at his residence on Monday evening.