Earlier in the day, a Sub Inspector critically injured after being shot at from close range in Pattan area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district. In a separate incident, a former militant was injured in Tral area of Pulwama district.
IGP Kashmir, Syed Javaid Geelani said at around 2 pm militants intercepted a passenger vehicle at Amshipora bridge just outside Amshipora village of Shopian district.
“Militants dragged the policemen, who were unarmed out of the vehicle and fired multiple rounds at them, killing them on spot,” he said.
Geelani said the policemen were unarmed as they were returning from a nearby village where they had gone to investigate a land dispute case.
Sources said that militants allowed the civilians travelling in the vehicle to move on.
“Preliminary investigations have revealed that the attackers were five in number and all of them were wearing Army uniforms. They were waiting for the vehicle at Amshipora bridge,” they said.
The deceased policemen were identified as Head Constable, Mushtaq Ahmad of Adigam Pulwama, Constable Nisar Ahmad of Sopore and Constable Shabir Hussain of Leh.
After the shootout, Army, police and CRPF men rushed to the area and launched search operation to track the assailants. However, no arrests were reported.
Earlier, militants attacked a Sub Inspector of Police travelling in a passenger bus in North Kashmir’s Pattan area.
“Sub Inspector Ghulam Mustafa was shot at by two pistol-borne militants in a bus which was on its way to Pattan. He sustained critical injuries in the attack,” police sources said.
They said driver of the passenger bus drove into a local police post where the cops shifted the injured police officer to a local hospital.
The injured officer was later referred to SKIMS, Soura, where doctors has declared his condition as stable.
In the third attack of the day, militants fired from point blank range towards a vegetable vendor and a former militant Rafiq Ahmad Bhat alias Dada in Tral town of Pulwama district.
“Militants fired at him outside Jammu and Kashmir Bank branch in the main town. He was shot in the chest and he ran to the nearby hospital,” sources said.
SP Awantipora, Irshad Ahmad said Bhat was referred to Srinagar for specialized treatment.
Police Control Room (PCR) in Awantipora maintained that Bhat was out of danger. “He was shifted to SMHS hospital in Srinagar and is out of danger now.”
IGP said militants wanted to make their presence felt after being unable to hit high profile targets.
“They are now hitting softer targets,” he said.
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