IGP says attack occured due to security lapse

Sopore: One more councillor of municipal committee Sopore died on Tuesday of bullet injuries sustained during the attack by suspected militants on municipal councillors in Sopore on Monday afternoon. A BJP councillor and a personal security officer had lost their lives on the same day the attack took place.
Officials said that councillor Shams ud din Peer, son of Gulam Mohammad Peer, was shifted to SMHS hospital in Srinagar in critical condition where he succumbed to his injuries in the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday.
Suspected militants had fired upon a group of councillors outside the office of the municipal committee office, which is across the road from the sub district hospital (SDH). A councillor, Reyaz Ahmad Peer, son of Ghulam Nabi Peer of Ningle Sopore, and the PSO of another councillor, Special Police Officer (SPO) Shafqat Nazir Khan, son of Nazir Ahmad Khan, resident of Mundji Sopore, were killed in the attack.
Shams ud din Peer received serious bullet injuries and was shifted to SMHS Srinagar for advanced treatment, where he died last night.
Earlier, the IGP Kashmir, who reached Sopore on Monday afternoon, told reporters that two Lashkar (LeT) militants were behind the attack and a search to nab them was on.
Sources on Tuesday said that police and army established several nakas (checkpoints) around Sopore town where men in uniform checked every outgoing and incoming person. They said that one youth has been detained by police for questioning but as of now government forces have not been able to trace the attackers.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of the wreath laying ceremony of a CRPF soldier, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir Vijay Kumar admitted the attack occurred due to security lapse. He said the policemen (Personal Security Officers) at the spot did not retaliate.
He said four PSOs have been suspended while an OGW has been arrested who has revealed that the plan to carry out the attack was hatched by one LeT militant and a foreigner at his home.
“There has been some security lapse in Sopore attack. There were four PSOs present and had they retaliated, the militants would not have succeeded in their efforts,” he said.
He said that police and other security forces will intensify the anti-militancy operations and those involved in Sopore attack will either be killed or arrested. “One OGW has been arrested already and after interrogating him, we have come to know that one LeT militant Mudasir along with a foreigner carried out the attack,” he said.
Asked whether vehicles with outside registration numbers are being used by militants in J&K, Kumar said that a few vehicles seized recently were used by militants to carry out attacks on forces including the one used for Lawaypora attack.
“That’s why RTO has issued an order making it mandatory for vehicles with outside registration to register the same within 15 days,” Kumar said, adding that police will plug the loopholes in the days ahead and also conduct short-refresher courses for the PSOs.
With inputs from KNO

Reader correspondent