A high alert was sounded in summer capital Srinagar of Jammu and Kashmir after militants carried out two separate attacks killing three policemen including an officer and decamped with service rifle of one of the slain cops. In the first strike, militants shot dead two policemen in Zadibal area of Srinagar at around 10:45am.The ultras shot at the two cops from close range at Mill Stop in Zadibal area which connects the city to Hazratbal Shrine and super speciality SKIMS Hospital at Soura, a police official said. “These policemen were unarmed on the road manning traffic when a back seat rider on a motorcycle opened fire upon the police party, killing two cops on the spot. The militants shortly after carrying the deadly attack fled from the spot,” a police official told CNS and identified the slain cops as Assistant Sub-Inspector Ghulam Muhammad Bhat (1035/S) son of Ali Muhammad a resident of Surigam Lolab and Head Constable Nazir Ahmad Mir (231/S) son of Ghulam Muhammad a resident of Chak Sar Marg Handwara.The slain cops were posted at Zadibal Police Station. Shortly after the deadly attack, top police officials including Deputy Inspector General Central Kashmir Ghulam Hasan Bhat, SSP Srinagar city Amit Kumar and others rushed to spot to assess the situation.
In the second strike, militants shot at constable Muhammad Sadiq Sheikh of Sogam Lolab, who was posted as personal security guard to chairman of J&K Pasmanda Tabqajaat (downtrodden classes) Muhammad Abdullah Chatwal, at Tengpora Batamaloo Bypass road.The militants also snatched the service rifle of the slain cop before fleeing from the spot, the official said adding the attack took place at around 12 noon.Muuhammad Abdullah Chatwal told CNS that as usual he along with his PSO and driver arrived at the college on Monday. “The driver parked the vehicle outside the college. A pistol borne youth suddenly emerged from somewhere and pumped a bullet into the head of my PSO. He was rushed to Police Control Room where the drivers declared him brought dead,” Chatwal said.This is first such major strike in the city in nearly three years. The last such attack took place on June 22, 2013 when two policemen were shot dead at Hari Singh High Street. In August 2009, militants had also resorted to twin attacks in Srinagar city. First they killed two CRPF personnel in city centre and later on lobbed a grenade at a CRPF party near Batamaloo Srinagar injuring a couple of security men.Militant outfit Hizbul Mujhadeen claimed the responsibility of the attack. Spokesperson of the outfit told CNS that such attacks will continue in future as well. A top police official said that shortly after the attacks an alert was sounded in Srinagar city to nab the assailants. (CNS)