A Border Security Force jawan sustained bullet injuries when a group of militants opened fire on a convoy in Handwara area of Kashmir’s Kupwara district on Saturday. A BSF official told The Hindu that head constable Satinder Singh has been hospitalised and his condition was stable.

The ambush took place when the convoy was passing through Wadi Pora area of Langate, reported Hindustan Times. This attack comes a day after an Army jawan and two militants were killed in an encounter in Bandipora district. Investigators had found two weapons and a grenade launcher from the militants.

Advertisement

Besides, this is the second attack on the security forces in Handwara in the last 36 hours. On November 24 night, militants had opened fire on a police station in this area. “Militants attacked the Kralgund police station in Handwara tehsil of Kupwara late Thursday evening,” said a senior police officer. He said the attackers fled after police personnel started firing in retaliation. There has been no loss of life. Investigators have launched a search operation for the perpetrators.

There has been a spike in the number of with militant attacks and civilian protests since the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen leader Burhan Wani on July 8. More than 90 people have been killed in unrest in the past five months, and hundreds have sustained grievous injuries during protests. The Valley has been left paralysed by frequent shutdown calls by separatist groups.

The unrest in the state has also contributed to the worsening ties between India and Pakistan, with Islamabad criticising the Centre’s management of the clashes in Kashmir and calling for a plebiscite in the region several times. Relations between both countries soured further after a militant attack on an Army camp in Kashmir’s Uri sector and the Indian Army’s “surgical strikes” on terror camps along the Line of Control with Pakistan.