SRINAGAR: In a major attack on Monday evening, terrorists opened heavy fire at a police bus in Zewan in Srinagar’s outskirts, killing at least two policemen including an assistant sub inspector and injuring 12 others. Police sources said the terrorists fired with automatic weapons at a bus of J&K Armed Police’s 9th battalion on the Pantha Chowk–Khunmoh road, a few hundred yards away from J&K Armed Police Headquarters around 5.50 pm.
Fourteen injured policemen were evacuated to a hospital, where ASI Ghulam Hassan (NO. 861250) and a selection grade constable died of their wounds. The condition of three other injured cops is said to be critical. After the attack, top security officials and contingents of police, CRPF and Army rushed to the area. The security men launched a search operation to track down the militants.
The attack sparked strong condemnation from Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and all political parties in J&K.
In a tweet, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said, “PM Narendra Modi has sought details on the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir. He has also expressed condolences to the families of those security personnel who have been martyred in the attack.”
It was the second militancy related incident in Srinagar on Monday. Earlier, two Lashkar-e-Toiba militants were killed in a brief encounter in the Rangreth area in the outskirts of Srinagar in the morning. After the Rangreth encounter, youth in the area clashed with security personnel and pelted stones at them. Local women, too, protested, chanting anti-India slogans.
Meanwhile, Special Police Officer Saqib Ahmad Tantray, the Personal Security Officer of BJP activist Abdul Rashid Zargar, and his associate Arif Ahmed fled with two AK rifles in Kupwara. The police has launched a manhunt to track down the duo.