Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
SRINAGAR: Nearly three years after killing two constables in Amirakadal area, and for the first time in the 14-month old PDP-BJP rule in Jammu and Kashmir, militants struck in a big way in the State’s summer capital on Monday, killing three Police personnel, including an Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI), in broad daylight. Hizbul Mujahideen immediately claimed responsibility for the twin attacks carried out in Zadibal and Tengpora neighbourhoods.
Authoritative sources told STATE TIMES that two unidentified militants on a motorcycle slowed down in front of two unarmed policemen outside Zadibal Police Station at 10.35 am. From their pistols, they fired on chest and head of the targeted Police officials who are believed to have died on the spot. Killed like sitting ducks under the shadows of a tree, they were later identified as ASI Ghulam Mohammad Bhat of Surigam, Lolab (Kupwara) and Head Constable Nazir Ahmad Mir of Chak Sarmarg, Handwara (Kupwara). Doctors at SKIMS declared them as brought dead. Eyewitnesses said that the militant duo zipped past two more unarmed men of the police party of Police Station Zadibal but did not strike on them. After carrying out the attack, the assassins drove in the direction of Soura. According to eyewitness, ASI Bhat was completely unarmed while as Constable Mir was seen holding a baton.
In less than an hour, unidentified militants accosted a parked Tata Sumo at Tengpora, on the National Highway bypass. One of the two militants took out his pistol and shot dead constable Mohammad Sadiq Sheikh of Dudhi Machhil (Kupwara) who was in uniform and was carrying an AK-47 rifle. Sources said that Sadiq, from JKAP 11th Battalion (Security), was attached as personal security officer to one Mohammad Abdullah Chaket of Handwara area who is incorporated as a leader of Pasmanda Tabqajat organisation. He had reportedly entered a nearby house to meet an acquaintance and fortunately had not returned when the militants targeted his PSO. The assassins escaped after snatching away the AK-47 rifle of the slain constable.
Striking nearly three years after the last police killing on June 22, 2013, when two police personnel had been gunned down at Maharaja Bazar Amirakadal, militants spread a wave of terror in Srinagar with the twin incidents. Even as some police officials have been attacked and killed elsewhere in Kashmir valley, police have not suffered this kind of fatal strike in Srinagar in the last three years.
Condemning the barbaric killing of three police personnel in Srinagar, the Cabinet which met here under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, expressed profound grief over the death of the three police officials. Describing the killings as “cowardly acts aimed at derailing the peace and reconciliation process in the State”, Cabinet said that such killings cannot deter the resolve of the Government in moving ahead to bring peace and normalcy to the State.
While expressing solidarity with the bereaved families, Cabinet assured that the Government would stand by the families of the martyred policemen in this hour of grief and will extend all possible help and assistance to the next of kin.
Chief Mehbooba Mufti led the ministers, bureaucrats and civil and police officials and security forces in paying floral tributes to the slain police personnel. Dy CM Nirmal Singh, Minister for Law Parliamentary Affairs and RDD Abdul Haq Khan, Minister of CAPD Choudhary Zulfikar, Minister for Cooperative Tsering Dorjay, Chief Secretary B R Sharma, Home Secretary RK Goyal, Director General of Police K Rajendra and other civil and police officers were present on the wreath laying ceremony at Police Control Room in Srinagar.
Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti expressed solidarity with the bereaved families of the deceased and prayed for peace to the departed souls. Recalling the sacrifices of police personnel in combating militancy in the state, Ms Mufti said such dastardly acts were against the basic tenets of humanity and they should be condemned by one and all.
“My heart goes out to the families of the slain police personnel and I hope that the perpetrators will be taken to task soon,” she said. Ms Mufti said such attacks were “attempts by vested interests to derail the peace and reconciliation process started by the state government in Jammu and Kashmir which will also impact the economy at a time when the tourism activity had started picking up in the state”.
Former Chief Minister and National Conference acting President Omar Abdullah too condemned the killing of the three police personnel and expressed solidarity with the bereaved families. On twitter, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi expressed concern over the resurging militancy in Kashmir.
2 Pakistani militants of JeM killed
SRINAGAR: In a dramatic achievement late on Monday, Jammu and Kashmir Police claimed to have killed two Pakistani militants including Jaish-e-Mohammad commander Saifullah in an encounter in the summer capital.
Director General of Police K Rajendra Kumar told STATE TIMES that JeM’s North Kashmir commander Saifullah, along with another militant, who was still unidentified but believed to be a Pakistani cadre of JeM, got killed in an encounter that began inside a residential house in the densely populated Saraiballa late on Monday night and ended shortly before midnight.
DGP said that a small contingent of Srinagar District Police eliminated both the holed up militants in a surgical operation without any collateral damage. He said that even the house in which the militants were hiding did not suffer any significant damage. However, a Police official sustained a minor injury. He said that one AK rifle, one pistol and one hand grenade were recovered beside the bodies of the two militants at the site of the encounter. He dismissed reports that one militant had been captured alive.
According to DGP, Police had earlier received information that two Pakistani militants, including Saifullah, had left from Handwara-Sopore belt of North Kashmir and arrived in Srinagar with the plan of executing major strikes around the beginning of the Assembly session on May 25. He said that after two militant attacks, in which Police suffered three fatal casualties, Police worked hard and zeroed in on a house between Saraiballa and Punjabi Mohalla, close to Hari Singh High Street.
“We are now trying to track the movement of the militants who carried out two strikes today. We are sure to neutralise them soon”, DGP asserted.
Some of the residents who insisted to remain anonymous claimed that today’s firing in Saraiballa did not seem to be a “genuine encounter”. “We are not sure but it can well be a fake encounter to counter the damage suffered by Police earlier today. In the past, Police and security forces have enacted dramas and killed the militants or civilians in custody to make good their damages”, said a resident. He said that there could have been huge collateral damage and several houses would have perished in a real encounter.
However DGP maintained that it was a “neat and clean operation and a genuine encounter” which was conducted by Police with total professionalism.
