J-K: DGP condemns terror attack on SPOs

Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbag Singh on Friday condemned the murder of two Special Police Officers (SPOs) and a police constable by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district.

Speaking to ANI, Singh said, "This is an act of desperation on the part of the militant outfits. In recent months, the police have conducted several successful operations against the militants. They (militants) target the police officers because they are soft targets. This act has garnered a large scale condemnation from the civil society and political parties."

"These officers have a duty towards the public, they do not harm anyone. They are an integral part of the force and they perform their duty exceptionally well. The government has prepared a lot of welfare schemes for the SPOs, which will be announced soon. But this incident is very condemnable as they have slaughtered innocent men who were in their homes, with their families. We will soon arrest the people involved in the incident and prosecute them," Singh added.

When asked about the ongoing anti-terrorist operation in Bandipora district, which started yesterday, Singh confirmed that the forces have killed a few terrorists, adding that the search operation is still underway and that further details of the operation will be released soon.

A total of three terrorists have been gunned down in the joint operation by the Army and the state police in the forest area of Sumlar in Bandipora. The identities of the terrorists have not been ascertained yet. The ongoing operation aims to weed out other terrorists holed up in the area.

On Friday morning, the bullet-ridden bodies of two SPOs and a constable were found in an orchard after they were kidnapped by terrorists from their homes in South Kashmir's Shopian district.

The incident has been widely condemned, with Governor Satyapal Malik and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti publicly condemning the attack.

Terror attacks against policemen in the state have been rampant in recent times.

On August 29, four policemen were killed when they were indiscriminately fired upon by a group of terrorists in Shopian's Arhama.

On August 22, three policemen were gunned down in three separate attacks by terrorists. Two of the attacks took place in Pulwama district, with one policeman killed in Kulgam.

On June 14, the gravely injured body of Aurangzeb, a member of 44 Rashtriya Rifles was found.He was abducted and killed by terrorists while he was returning home for the festival of Eid.