Two policemen died in Srinagar on Friday after being shot by suspected militants, the Kashmir Zone Police said. The attack took place in the city’s Baghat Barzulla area, which is situated along the high-security airport road.
The policemen, identified as Mohammad Yousuf and Suhail Ahmad, were moved to a hospital after they sustained the bullet wounds. Later, they succumbed to their injuries.
A CCTV video of the incident shows the policemen being shot at close range at a tea stall. The area has been cordoned off. The police have launched a search operation to track down the attackers, India Today reported.
Jammu and Kashmir leaders, including former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, condemned the killing of the police officers. “I condemn this act of militant violence and send my condolences to the families of these brave men,” he tweeted. “What makes this attack even more reprehensible is that SgCT Mohammad Yousuf of Zurhama and Ct Suhail Ahmad of Logripora were unarmed and shot in the back. Senseless and cowardly at the same time.”
Mufti tweeted: “So much done to woo foreigners who have no stake in the Kashmir issue while the main stakeholders i.e. the people of Jammu and Kashmir are disregarded and brutalised into silence.”
This is the second militant attack in Srinagar in the last three days, according to PTI. On Wednesday, suspected militants had shot at a restaurant owner’s son in the city’s Durganag area.
Earlier on Friday, three suspected militants and a policeman were killed in two separate gunfights in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian and Budgam districts. The authorities suspended internet services in Shopian as a precautionary measure.
The incidents took place as envoys from 24 countries undertook a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday and Thursday to assess its ground situation, more than a year after the revocation of the erstwhile state’s special status under Article 370. However, questions have been raised about the purpose of the visit. Many political leaders in Jammu and Kashmir have criticised the envoys’ “guided” visit.
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