Day after, militants cast their bullets: editor shot at, Cong office is attacked

The editor of widely circulated Urdu daily Srinagar Times, Ghulam Mohammad Sofi was shot at by unidentified gunmen this evening. His personal security guard was also injured in the shootout.

When a reporter asked him whether he was attacked because of ‘‘positive’’ reporting on polls, Sofi, who is admitted in a hospital, said ‘‘I am always positive.’’ Sofi’s office has been attacked several times before. Two years ago, a grenade was thrown at his house.

The incident took place at 6.30 pm when three pistol-wielding persons barged into Sofi’s office-cum-residence at Buchwara, Dalgate. They fired at Sofi and his PSO Ali Mohammad and escaped. This is the third incident over the last three months when unidentified militants targeted journalists in Srinagar.

Sofi was shifted to the hospital and his condition is said to be out of danger. He received bullet-injuries in his hand. Sofi said the attack on him was meant to intimidate and harass the press. He, however, said did do not know who were behind the attack.

‘‘One person entered my room at 6.30 pm and when I asked his identity, he whiped out a weapon and fired at me and fled from there,’’ Sofi said at the Srinagar hospital where he is admitted.

Sofi’s younger brother Bashir Ahmad Bashir, a cartoonist, said a person came to the office and told the security guard that he wanted to meet Sofi. ‘‘The PSO allowed him but he came out immediately and returned after some time alongwith two other persons. They went inside and began firing,’’ he said.

Elsewhere, six persons were killed and 13 injured. Militants also lobbed a grenade at the Congress office here on Maulana Azad Road. It exploded in the compound injuring three persons including two security personnel.

One civilian was killed and 13 others injured when militants hurled a grenade towards a security forces patrol at Lal Chowk, Anantnag. Fourteen persons were injured in the explosion. Later, an injured Shah Abbas Yousf, a resident of Bulbul Nowgam, succumbed to his injuries.

Police said two militants were killed in gun-battle with security forces at Rama-III Khawaja forests in Kupwara. In another encounter, a militant was killed by security forces at Tral from whom an AK-47 rifle was seized.

In Baramulla, militants barged into the house of Abdul Hamid Parra in Kreeri and shot him dead.

At Dangiwanchi in the same district, a security force staffer was killed in a militant attack yesterday, police said.

Meanwhile, the PC’s proxy candidate from Lolab, Abdul Haque Khan, today said he would reconsider his decision to contest if his security is not reinforced and harassment to his supporters by police not stopped.

He also accused the Kupwara Superintendent of Police for his ‘‘partisan approach’’ and demanded his immediate removal from the district. ‘‘My life is my first priority,’’ said Khan.

‘‘I cannot risk my life and continue the campaign. For the last three days, I am here in Srinagar because of security reasons,’’ Khan said.

He said that if the EC did not take necessary action in the next two days, he would be forced to do a rethink. ‘‘I have written a letter to EC on September 14 but they have not taken any action,’’ he said.

Lolab has a strong presence of militants and polls in the constituency were postponed after National Confence candidate and Law Minister Mushtaq Ahmad Lone was assassinated by militants on September 11.

Polls there are now scheduled for the third phase on October 8. Khan said the elections could neither solve the Kashmir problem nor could they be a hurdle in its resolution. ‘‘Those who feel like this are mistaken,’’ he said.

Khan claimed that there has been ‘‘bungling’’ in electoral rolls. I have faith in the Election Commission but it has failed to hold free and fair elections. Electoral rolls are manipulated, living people have been shown dead and 8,000 new voter registration forms are missing,’’ Khan said.

Khan cited figures suggesting that the number of voters had been increased in pro-NC villages, while in other areas the number has been decreased. ‘‘The number of votes in a Sogam polling station (p/s 17) was 1141 and as per updated electoral rolls, the number is 1407. But in polling station No. 14, EC has deleted 135 votes,’’ he said.

He pointed out the names of three living persons from Lalpore village who have been shown dead on electoral rolls.

For instance, Halima wife of Noorulla (serial No 399 under poling station No 14) has been shown dead in the updated voter list.

Even though 16 security personnel of the SSB have been deployed for his security, Khan said ‘‘he has to protect the SSB men rather than they protecting me. I was not targeted becuase a large number of people accompany me and they (people) are my protection.’’

Khan is feeling more vulnerable after Lone’s assasination at Tikipora village. After the tragic incident, said Khan, two relatives of the block president were arrested by the police. ‘‘Police is trying to implicate them,’’ he said.

Khan alleged that Kupwara SP, Ghulam Mohammad Dar, was intimidating his supporters and had conducted four raids on the shop of one of his supporters. ‘‘These raids are being conducted to intimidate my block president Ghulam Nabi Mir,’’ he said. Khan alleged that Dar is ‘‘indebted to Lone and is biased.’’

Khan also alleged that the EC’s directives are not being implemented by the local administration and around 200 employees of various government departments are actively campaigning for the ruling National Conference in Lolab.