• Unidentified gunmen shot dead 2 policemen at Bagh-e-Mardan
• Hizbul Mujahideen claimed responsibility for all these lethal attacks
• Militants are getting ready for more action and are lurking in Srinagar

SRINAGAR: For the first time in 3 years once again Policemen are being targeted by the militants in Jammu and Kashmir. Unidentified militants shot dead 3 policemen from the Special Operation Group (SOG) recently in Srinagar on May 24.

In the first attack, unidentified gunmen shot dead 2 policemen at Bagh-e-Mardan (located 200m from Zadibal police station). Both officers were unarmed. After being shot they died on their way to the hospital. Whereas in the second attack attackers came on a motorcycle and shot the policemen. Before fleeing the spot they also managed to snatch Rifles and other weapons.

Hizbul Mujahideen claimed responsibility for all these lethal attacks. He has further warned of similar attacks in near future. For a long time though the J&K police have been able to maintain the city as a militant free place. Security forces were achieving very good success but these killings now indicate militants have managed to sneak into the city. However, security in Srinagar was tightened and armed policemen were deployed in crowded areas.

Javid Mujtaba Gillani (Inspector General of Police (Kashmir Zone)) said: "the attacks were the result of security forces maintaining pressure on militants."

K Rajendra Kumar (The Director General of Police) further elucidated "Militant recruits face a shortage of weapons because the traditional arms-supply through the Line of Control has been thwarted by a strict vigil of the Indian Army, according to news reports. The militants, as a result, have taken to snatching weapons from security forces to stock their arsenals."

These attacks a desperate act by militants to announce their presence. Militants are getting ready for more action and are lurking in Srinagar.

Contrary to this fact Khurram Parvez, (human rights activist and Programme Coordinator of the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society in Srinagar) said "the police personnel knows the consequences and dangers involved in duty. Legally speaking this [Zadibal shootout] was combatants fighting combatants,"

J&K Chief minister Mehbooba Mufti paid homage to the departed souls of the policemen. Omar Abdullah (National Conference working president) called it a "worrying development". Locals are mourning the death of those unarmed police forces. Several questions such as "Don't they have the right to live?" "Why to attack unarmed policemen?" are being raised. There have been sayings that "If this is Jihad, then we want nothing out of it."

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-by Pritam

Pritam is a 3rd year engineering student and an intern at NewsGram. Twitter handle: @pritam_gogreen