Women wail during the funeral procession of slain policemen at his native village Yachama of Kangan | KO Photo By Abid Bhat
Srinagar- The death toll in the militant attack on a police bus in Zewan area of Srinagar rose to three on Tuesday after an injured constable succumbed to injuries, officials said.
Constable Rameez Ahmad of the 9th Battalion, Jammu and Kashmir Armed Police, succumbed to injuries at the Army’s 92 Base hospital, the officials said.
According to reports, hundreds of people attended funeral prayers of the killed policemen when his body was brought to his native village Yachama of Kangan on Tuesday afternoon. Heart wrenching scenes were witnessed as the body of Rameez was being carried to the ancestral graveyard for burial.
Rameez is survived by three sisters, a brother and an elderly ailing father.
Little known outfit Kashmir Tigers, believed to be an off-shoot of Jaish-e-Mohammad, carried out the attack on the police bus at the high-security Zewan area on the outskirts of Srinagar city on Monday.
According to police, three militants had fired indiscriminately upon the bus carrying policemen back to their campus after finishing their duties
In the surprise militant attack, fourteen police personnel, including an Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI), were injured.
ASI Ghulam Hassan of Ramban and Safique Ali of Mahore in Reasi cops succumbed to the grave gunshot injuries at the army’s Badami Bagh cantonment hospital.
Pertinently, the attack in Zewan comes two days after militants attacked a police team in Bandipora town on Friday last leaving two policemen dead. One among the killed policemen was the lone bread earner of his family, including his four small kids.
According to police, a Pakistani militant killed the two cops escorting an officer before fleeing from the generally bustling Gulshan Chowk in the main town Bandipora.
Meanwhile, Inspector General of Police (Kashmir) Vijay Kumar said on Tuesday that the attack on police bus was pre-planned.
“The bus carrying 25 policemen was returning to the camp, as per routine, when three militants of Jaish-e-Mohammad opened fire on the vehicle,” he told reporters at the wreath-laying ceremony for one of the slain policemen.
“This was a planned attack. They must have conducted recce and seen that the bus is coming back every day in routine after getting off duty,” the officer said.
Kumar said that while one of the assailants was a local, two others were foreign militants.
“We have got lot of inputs on the group. We will neutralise this group very soon,” he said.
The IGP lauded the police personnel, saying they retaliated and ensured that the militants did not succeed in snatching the weapons.
“One of the militants was injured in the retaliatory fire and blood trail could be seen for quite some distance… They escaped towards Khrew. We are working on it, ” he added.
Kumar said the militants took advantage of darkness as the road leading to the police camp at Zewan was not well lit and the road opening party of security forces had left for the day.
“We are taking all precautionary measures ,including installation of lights on the road,” he added. (With PTI inputs)
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