We are fighting proxy war in Kashmir: DGP Vaid after militants kill 2 cops

Militants killed policemen in two separate incidents and fled with their weapons

Weeks after militants opened fire at police personnel in a Srinagar hospital and managed to flee a Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist, two policemen were shot dead by terrorists in two separate attacks in the valley on Sunday. One of the attacks took place near the revered Chrar-e-Shareef shrine and the other outside the residence of a Hurriyat leader, officials said.

In both cases, terrorists decamped with the service rifle of the deceased.

Following the incident, Jammu & Kashmir Police chief S P Vaid posted a tweet dubbing the incidents as "proxy war" and asked his men to be careful. 

Police has registered cases in both the incidents. The area has been cordoned off and a hunt is on to nab the assailants, officials told agencies.

The first attack took place near the revered Chrar-e-Shareef shrine in Budgam district of central Kashmir, a police spokesman said.

One of the victim, Constable Kultar Singh was guarding the shrine of Sufi saint Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Noorani on Sunday afternoon when he was attacked and injured by militants who fled with his service rifle. Singh succumbed to injuries at the Army's 92 Base Hospital in Srinagar, a police spokesperson said.

In the second attack, militants fired at Constable Farooq Ahmad Yatoo, who was guarding separatist Fazal Haq Qureshi at his residence in Bilal Colony in the Soura area  of Kashmir.

The militants decamped with Yatoo's service rifle, the spokesman said, adding the injured policeman succumbed to injuries at the SKIMS hospital.

According to officials, Hurriyat leader Qureshi's ressidence was attacked earlier too. He was injured when unidentified gunmen attacked him near his Soura residence in December 2009.

The spokesman said cases in both the incidents were registered and investigation set in motion.

Meanwhile, Director General of Police (DGP) S P Vaid asked police personnel to be careful, saying they were fighting a proxy war in the state.

Pained at the loss of a valued colleague SGC Kultar Singh, who attained martyrdom in an attack on J-K Police guard for the protection of Charar-e-Shareef shrine," Vaid tweeted.

We have lost another precious life when Constable Farooq Ahmad was martyred today in Srinagar. Be more careful boys, its the proxy war that we are fighting in Jammu & Kashmir, he added in another tweet.

On 6 February, militants had killed two policemen escorting a 22-year-old LeT militant at a Srinagar hospital. The militants were able to free the militant Mohammed Naveed Jhutt, who was in police custody since 2014. The policemen had taken him to the hospital for a check-up.