Soldier among 3 killed, panic in Kashmir

Srinagar, June 27 (UNI) A soldier and a special police officer (SPO) were among the three people killed and as many wounded in Kashmir since last evening, official sources said today.

An unclaimed bag at the Ram Bagh bridge here this morning threw the security forces into a tizzy and caused panic among the people.

Special dog squads and bomb disposal personnel were pressed into service to defuse what was believed to be an Improvised Explosive Device (IED). However, nothing was found inside the bag after a thorough check.

The sources said bullet-ridden bodies of SPO Fayaz Ahmad Bhat and Mohammad Rafiq Hakeem were recovered by police from Drabgam village near Rajpora in the Pulwama district today.

The two were kidnapped by the suspected militants from their residence at Wathura, Chadoora in central Kashmir district of Badgam yesterday, they added.

The sources said the suspected militants entered into the house of Ghulam Mohammad Mir at Nizampora in Kangan and fired upon his son-in-law Abdul Hamid Bhat, a soldier in the Territory Army. He died on the spot.

His wife Posha and the house-owner were also wounded in the incident, they added. The security forces later conducted a search operation in the area to nab the militants responsible for the act.

The sources said militants fired upon a shopkeeper, Ajaz Ahmed, at Sopore in Baramulla district of north Kashmir this afternoon.

He was rushed to the Sub-District Hospital where his condition was stated to be critical. Ahmed was later referred to a hospital here, the sources said.

They said Abdul Aziz Mir, an activist of the National Conference, was abducted by the suspected militants at Arin, Bandipora in north Kashmir last evening.

However, he managed to escape from the clutches of the militants late last night, the sources added.

UNI AG KD DS1650