Suspected militants snatch rifle from policeman after shooting at him

Officials said a policeman identified as Sartaj Ahmad was injured and his weapon snatched, after he was attacked by the suspected militants on early Friday morning.

Suspected militants on Friday snatched a rifle from J-K policeman after he was shot at in South Kashmir’s Shopian district. This is third weapon related incident in last two weeks in South Kashmir when rifles were taken away from the cops.

Officials said a policeman identified as Sartaj Ahmad was injured and his weapon snatched, after he was attacked by the suspected militants on early Friday morning. The injured cop, who was rushed to the local hospital is said to be stable.

SP Shopian Altaf Khan told The Indian Express that militants attacked the policeman deployed at the branch of the J&K bank in the town. “They attacked the policeman who was posted in the bank. He was shot at and his weapon was snatched as well,” he said.

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He said that the police has registered a case and have started the investigations.

Earlier on Tuesday, the service rifle of a policeman posted at District Hospital in Pulwama was stolen by some unidentified persons.

On May 21, driver of a BJP district president in South Kashmir’s Pulwama, Gulzar Ahmad decamped along with a rifle of the policemen guarding the BJP leader. Police has arrested the driver, but the weapon is still untraceable.

In March, a policeman guarding the house of J&K roads and building Minister Altaf Bukhari had decamped with two rifles from his house in Srinagar. The guard had then joined a militant outfit.

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Sources in the police say, after the recent weapon snatching cases, the security personnel deployed on the ground have been asked to stay alert and vigilant.

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