Gun silences one more politician in Valley, hurts two

This is the first incident when gunmen stormed the office of a pro-India political group in broad daylight in Srinagar. Dar received two bullets in his neck and chest. He told police he had received a threatening note from the Hizbul Mujahideen recently. He also mentioned that the two assailants had opened fire indiscriminately.

Awami Mahaz, the hitherto unknown group, is said to have six to eight members. It is one of the 40-odd groups said to have been be raised by the Centre to bring a ‘‘mainstream political revolution’’ in J-K. Most of such ‘‘sponsored’’ groups are headed by former militants and recently 10 groups have merged and formed People’s Party headed by Imran Rahi, a former Hizbul Mujahideen commander.

Though police maintained that militants are behind the attack, sources said a hand within cannot be ruled out. More so, because the three Awami Mahaz men were drunk at the time of the shootout. Police recovered a whisky bottle from the office. ‘‘They were drunk. A whisky bottle was recovered,’’ said Shergarhi Sub Divisional Police Officer Tanveer Jeelani.