Cop killed, another hurt in militant attack in Pulwama

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, May 25

A policeman was killed and another injured in a militant attack in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district today.

The militants carried out the attack at Monghama village in Pulwama, nearly 30 km from Srinagar, where National Conference district president and former MLA Ghulam Mohiuddin had gone to attend a marriage function.

“As the former MLA went inside the house, the militants fired indiscriminately at his Personal Security Officer (PSO) Shabir Ahmad, who was in civilian clothes. The bullets hit Shabir and another policeman Riyaz Ahmed, who was talking to the Personal Security Officer. The militants also snatched the rifle of Shabir before fleeing,” a police officer in Pulwama said.

The injured policeman, Ahmed, succumbed to his injuries on the way to a hospital. Ahmed was posted at District Police Lines, Pulwama, and was not on duty and was at the village to attend the marriage function of his cousin.

The militants believed to be two in number escaped even as the police said that one of them was injured in retaliatory firing.

The incident created panic in the village. The guests at the wedding were seen running for cover after the shootout. The National Conference leader escaped unhurt in the attack. Superintendent of Police, Pulwama, Rayees Mohammad Bhat said that they had got some clues about the attack. “We are working on them,” Bhat told The Tribune.

No militant group has so far claimed the responsibility for the attack.

With this incident in the last three days, four policemen have been killed by militants across Kashmir. On Monday, militants had shot three cops in Srinagar in two attacks.