A special police officer and his brother were killed on Saturday after being shot by militants in Jammu and Kashmir’s Budgam district, the police said.
The militants shot the officer, Ishfaq Ahmad, at his home in Chadbugh village in Budgam, the Jammu and Kashmir Police said. They also shot his brother Umar Jan, who succumbed to his injuries at the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences in Srinagar, PTI reported. Jan was a student.
The police said on Saturday that the area where the attack took place has been cordoned off and a search operation is underway.
This was the third attack by militants in Budgam in the past month, according to NDTV.
Political leaders across party lines condemned the attack and expressed solidarity with Ahmad’s family.
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha condemned the killing of the officer, saying that those who were behind the “despicable attack” will not go unpunished. He also prayed for Umar Jan’s speedy recovery.
National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah said that he was “very sorry” to hear about Ahmad’s death and added that he unequivocally condemned the attack.
Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party chief Altaf Bukhari condemned the “dastardly and cowardly attack” and said that his party stands with Ahmad’s family. “Such acts of violence have no place in our society and only add to our collective tragedies and miseries,” he wrote on Twitter.
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