Militants attack BJP leader’s house in Srinagar; cop killed

Srinagar, April 1

A policeman was killed when militants opened fire on the residence of a BJP leader in the Nowgam area here today, the police said.

BJP leader Anwar Ahmad, who is the party’s district general secretary for Baramulla and in-charge for Kupwara district, is safe, a police official said.

He said the militants fired on the guard post at the BJP leader’s house at Arigam Nowgam on the outskirts of the city this morning.

In the firing, Constable Rameez Raja was injured and rushed to SMHS Hospital in the city where doctors declared him “brought dead”.

Medical Superintendent of SMHS Hospital Dr Nazir Chowdhary said the cop was “brought dead” to the hospital.

Militants decamped with an SLR rifle from the spot.

BJP media in-charge Manzoor Bhat said the party’s Kashmir unit strongly condemned the brutal attack. — PTI

4 LeT ultras carried out attack, says IGP

The attack was carried out by four Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants, Kashmir Inspector General of Police (IGP) Vijay Kumar said. “Two of them have been identified and they are from Srinagar city. There was one sentry on the main door and two cops in the guard room. As is clear from the CCTV footage, one terrorist wearing a burqa knocked on the main door and asked for opening it,” the IGP told mediapersons on the sidelines of a wreath-laying ceremony of the slain cop — Rameez Raja — at the Police Control Room in Srinagar.

‘Such incidents can’t weaken democracy’

The BJP on Thursday condemned the militant attack on party leader Anwar Ahmad’s house in Srinagar, saying such incidents could not weaken democracy in J&K. Tarun Chugh, national general secretary of the BJP and in-charge of J&K, expressed anguish over the “highly deplorable” incident and said exemplary punishment would be ensured to the killers of the policeman.