Srinagar, Mar 18: Two days after militants struck in Lal Chowk, police and paramilitary CRPF troopers on Thursday cordoned off the city centre and conducted surprise checks throughout the day.
“We had inputs about militants may strike in Lal Chowk again today. Checks were conducted to thwart any such attempt,” a senior police official told Greater Kashmir.
Police laid the cordon and made people stand in queues as they conducted the searches and checked their identity cards. No one was arrested during the searches.
In view of the Tuesday’s Koker Bazar shootout in which Khurshid Ahmad Parray was killed and four others, including two CRPF men, were injured, the official said the police have been put on alert. “Additional men have been deployed in the marketplaces where they are laying cordons and are conducting random searches and frisking people,” he said.
The CRPF spokesman, Prabhakar Triphati said that the searches had to be intensified in view of the recent attacks targeting CRPF men.
“Being a busy business hub, we ensure least disturbances in Lal Chowk and its neighbourhood. But the militants are now taking advantage of the crowded places so we have to step up the vigil and searches,” he said.
“We have got some clues and some people are wanted in the case. We are hopeful that we will solve it soon,” the Deputy Inspector General, central Kashmir range, H K Lohia said.

Lastupdate on : Thu, 18 Mar 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 18 Mar 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:00:00 IST