New Delhi: In a suspected terror attack, a 35-year-old Jammu and Kashmir Police (JKP) personnel, who was part of the police contingent deployed for the Amarnath Yatra, was shot dead by suspected terrorists, sources confirmed.
The firing took place around 12.30 pm Wednesday, near the Clock Tower at the busy Lal Chowk area of Anantnag.
CCTV footage accessed by JKP shows the man wearing a black cap and carrying a bundle wrapped in a saffron, white and green cloth. Police said the bundle contained an AK-47, which was used in the attack.
Head Constable Aashiq Hussain Qureshi, posted with the Indian Reserve Police’s 3rd Battalion and a resident of Budgam, was rushed to the Government Medical College (GMC) Hospital in Anantnag, where he was declared brought dead. A search operation has been launched.
“He was on duty at Lal Chowk near the Kotwal Gali entrance when he was shot at from close range by one person,” a senior police officer said.
Sources in the security establishment said the shooter is suspected to be a foreign terrorist.
“It earlier appeared to be the work of a new LeT recruit but now it seems it is a foreign terrorist. The hunt for the shooter is on,” the source said.
The source added that the attacker fired multiple rounds at close range before fleeing the spot. “Police personnel was immediately rushed to GMC Anantnag, but he succumbed to his injuries due to excessive blood loss. He sustained over five gun shot injuries,” the source said.
Soon after the incident, security in the area was heightened. The attack comes at a critical time during the Amarnath Yatra season. Though the Yatra was currently suspended due to heavy rain, security was still deployed on the route.
Police are now scanning CCTV footage from the area, and a manhunt has been launched to trace the TRF shooter.
Following the attack, The Resistance Fighters, a front of The Resistance Force (TRF), a proxy of Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility.
In a poster circulated online, the outfit said, “Amid tight so-called Yatra security, the Resistance Fighters carried out a targeted attack with clear precision on mercenaries of JKP, in which one Ashiq Hussain of JKP was shot with five bullets.”
ThePrint could not verify the authenticity of the post.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)