Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Aug 26: A National Conference (NC) leader and Member of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council, Shoukat Ahmad Gania, today had a narrow escape when militants attacked his escort vehicle killing a para-military Central Reserve Police (CRPF) man and critically injuring the other in South Kashmir district of Shopian while a constable of Special Operations Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir Police was killed by militants in South Kashmir this afternoon at a point blank range.
DIG South Kashmir, Vijay Kumar told Excelsior that as Gania arrived in village Awanera in district Shopian to attend marriage of son of one Abdul Gani Bhat in the village, militants attacked his escort vehicle.
“The escort vehicle dropped the CRPF men at the residence of Bhat and driver Raju Ram and constable Bolu Ram went ahead with the vehicle to park it. As they were parking the vehicle, militants attacked them killing the driver and injuring a CRPF man. Militants also decamped with one Insas rifle of the CRPF constable and Carbine of the driver”, Kumar said.
Militants escaped from the village leaving the two CRPF men in a pool of blood. Driver Raju Ram succumbed to his injuries on way to hospital while Bolu Ram has been shifted to Srinagar for treatment. His condition is stated to be critical.
Police and CRPF troops were rushed to the spot and Gania was escorted out of the village. Senior Police, CRPF and Army officers rushed to the spot and a massive operation was launched to nab the militants responsible for the attack.
The attack comes hours after militants killed an SOG man in a market place in the adjacent village of Arwani in South Kashmir district of Anantnag this afternoon.
The DIG South Kashmir said that SOG man was killed at a market place in village Arwani in district Anantnag when militants fired upon the cop from point blank range. “Our men didn’t fire as it was a busy market place”, Kumar said.
Giving details, the DIG said that constable Salamat Khan of 14th Battalion of Jammu and Kashmir Armed Police was shot at point blank range at around 1 p.m. in Arwani village market.
The constable was left in a pool of blood and the militants decamped with his AK-47 rifle. He was removed to hospital but he succumbed to injuries.
A civilian Sheraz Ahmad Naiku of Chanpora, Arwani who was at the market place at the time of the attack was injured. However, he is out of danger and is being treated at the hospital.
The area has been cordoned off and hunt to nab the militant responsible for the cop killing has been launched. However, no arrests were made so far. Police apprehends Lashkar-e-Toiba hand in the cop killing.
The cop killing comes after two months. Last time two cops were killed at point blank range two days ahead of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s visit to Kashmir on June 22 in Hari Singh High Street, Srinagar.
Sources said that the militants are short of weapons and the cop killings are aimed at snatching of weapons to arm the new recruits.
Police sources didn’t rule out the two attacks being carried out by the same group of militants as the distance between the two villages is hardly few kilometers. There is only one village, Frisal, in between the two villages where militants carried out strikes.
In the meantime, the DIG said that the militants, who killed Dr. Jalal near outside his house at Pampore along with two security guards on July 18, have been identified.
Kumar said that one of them is a Pakistani national and another is Bilal Ahmad of Lelhaar village in Pulwama district and they are associated with the LeT.
It may be mentioned here that two militants attacked Dr Jalal at his ancestral hometown at Pampore, on Srinagar-Jammu highway on July 18. His two body guards died on the spot and Dr Jalal was critically injured and succumbed to his fatal injuries at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, on August 17. Militants had decamped with the two rifles of his two security guards.
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