Panic in Srinagar after militant attack

The trouble erupted when a policeman Mushtaq Ahmad, attached with Maisumapolice station, was shot dead by unidentified militants at Madina Chowk nearGawkadal, he said. Five-minutes later, militants struck busy business centreof Badshah Chowk in Lal Chowk area and killed the two BSF personnel,identified as constable Lakshmi Narayan and constable Ramanan of 39thbattalion, from point-blank range while they were coming out of a shop inthe area.

The broad-day light shooting caused panic in the areas when police andparamilitary forces fired in air for about half-an-hour in retaliation tothe militant strike. However, there was no report of any casualty, thespokesman said.

Police and BSF personnel allegedly set ablaze three Maruti cars, twothree-wheelers and at least three shops in Gawkadal area, besides smashingwindscreens of about a dozen vehicles which were abandoned by theiroccupants to escape the furry of the police and paramilitary forces,official sources said.

A PTI reporter who visited the site of the incidents saw smoke smoulderingfrom the burnt down vehicles, a couple of three-wheelers, and a few shops.Nomilitant outfit has claimed responsibility for the incidents. About a dozenyouths were taken into custody for questioning, the sources said.Earlier inthe day, a mysterious blast damaged a mosque, shortly before afternoonprayers at Shaheed Gunj in the city.

Although no one was injured in the blast, which took place one hour before`zuhar’ prayers (second prayer of the day), its impact was so powerful thatit damaged the second floor of the mosque where a `madrassa’ (religiousschool) was housed.