Four policemen were killed and one was seriously injured on Saturday when an improvised explosive device (IED) was detonated by terrorists in the Sopore town of north Kashmir.
The IED exploded in the main bazaar where the Kashmir separatists had organised a shutdown against the killing of 57 people in 1993.
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Police said that the IED was planted near a shop and was triggered when a police team reached there.
The killed policemen have been identified as Assistant Sub-Inspector Irshad Ahmad of Doda district, Mohammad Amin from Kupwara and Ghulam Rasool and Ghulam Nabi (both of Sopore). They were from the 3rd Battalion of the India Reserve Police (IRP).
Three shops were damaged due to the explosion. The security forces have cordoned off the area and launched a search operation
This is after several years that the terrorists in Kashmir have exploded an IED to cause casualties among the police personnel. They had been indulging in direct attacks with sophisticated weapons instead of IEDs.
Reports said that the terrorists had planted the IED in a shop in the congested lane between the Chhota Bazaar and Bada Bazaar. The policemen were patrolling the area in view of the separatists-sponsored shutdown. Expressing grief over the incident, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti tweeted; “Pained to hear that four policemen have been killed in an IED explosion in Sopore. My deepest condolences to their families”.
Former CM and National Conference leader, Omar Abdullah, in his tweet said; “Omar. Very sad news from #Sopore. May the four brave J&K police personnel killed in the line of duty today rest in peace”. Separatist Mirwaiz Umar Farooq in his tweet did not express condolences on killing of the 4 Kashmiri Muslim cops but accused “Indian forces” for massacre of 57 civilians 25 years ago.
