Srinagar: A Peoples Democratic Party worker and a police officer were killed in separate attacks in Kashmir’s Srinagar and Pulwama districts on Sunday. Moreover, militants opened fire on an army patrol at a village in Shopian district on Sunday afternoon.
A police official said unidentified gunmen fired at PDP worker Muhammad Amin Dar, 40, at Gangbugh area of Hyderpora, Srinagar at around 6pm.
Greater Kashmir, citing a witness, reported that people heard gunshots and thought it to be a fidayeen (suicide) attack on forces.
“Later we came to know that PDP worker Muhammad Amin Dar, a resident of Gangbug, was shot at from a close range and died at SKIMS hospital in Bemina where he was taken in a critical condition,” the witness stated.
The incident led to widespread panic in Gangbug and its adjoining areas.
Senior superintendent of police Srinagar Imtiaz Ismail confirmed Dar’s death.
“He was shot at and shifted to a hospital in a very critical condition. We have registered a case and investigations have been taken up,” he said.
A police spokesman in a statement said that militants fired at “an individual” at Gangbugh. “In the incident, he sustained grievous bullet injuries and was shifted to hospital where he succumbed,” he said.
Soon after, intensive frisking of vehicles in the vicinity took place and the police cordoned off the area.
The PDP worker’s killing comes after the October 5 killing in which two National Conference workers Nazir Ahmed Bhat and Mushtaq Ahmed Wani were killed at Habba Kadal area of the city, three days before the start of urban local body elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
In respect to the police officer’s killing, police said that ‘suspected militants Sunday shot dead a police officer at a village in southern Pulwama district while he was travelling in his car’.
A police officer said that militants waylaid the car of sub-inspector Imtiyaz Ahmad Mir in Wahibugh area at around 4.15pm and took him to nearby Romshi Nallah and “fired upon him, resulting in his instant death.”
The bullet-perforated body of the officer was lying in the area for quite some time before it was recovered by a police party, the official said.
“When the police party reached the spot, some youth threw stones and bricks on them,” the official said, adding that the police fired some tear-smoke shells to chase away the stone-pelters.
Mir was a resident of Sontbugh Pulwama and was working with the Criminal Investigation Department of the Jammu and Kashmir police.
Police have registered a case in the incident and initiated the investigations, the officer said. The wreath-laying ceremony was held at District Police Lines Pulwama.
“Civil and police officers led by Inspector General of police SP Pani laid floral wreaths and paid rich tributes to the slain police officer. Among others who laid wreaths were DIG SKR, SSP Pulwama and other senior officers of police and security forces,” a police spokesman said in a statement.
Meanwhile, militants opened fire on an army patrol at a village in Shopian district on Sunday afternoon.
A police official said that militants opened fire on a patrolling party of army’s 34 Rashtriya Rifles in Poterwal village at around 4.15 pm.
The army men, according to the official, immediately returned the fire. “No one, however, was hurt from the either side during the exchange of fire.”
