Srinagar: An inspector of Jammu and Kashmir Police was shot and critically wounded by a militant in downtown Srinagar on Sunday, officials said.
The officer, identified as Masroor Ahmad Wani, was playing cricket at the Eidgah playground when the lone militant fired three shots in the eye, abdomen and hand from close range, officials said.
On Sundays, the Eidgah ground is usually filled with youngsters playing cricket.
Wani’s teammates ran after the militant but he fired in the air before fleeing through adjoining lanes, they said.
Believed to be in his late thirties, Wani was rushed to a hospital in Soura where he was undergoing an operation, the officials said, adding his condition was stated to be critical.
He was posted in the district police lines.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the Kashmir Zone Police stated, “Terrorists fired upon and injured Inspector Masroor Ahmad near Eidgah, Srinagar. He was immediately shifted to hospital for treatment. Preliminary investigation reveals that a pistol was used in this terror crime. Area cordoned off, case registered.”
The Resistance Front has claimed responsibility for the attack.
However, the officials said that they had got some clues about the militant who carried out the attack and an operation was on to nab him.
Meanwhile, Security has been beefed up as police and the CRPF intensified checking in Srinagar and other towns of Kashmir following the attack.
The security forces have intensified the checking of vehicles and pedestrians in several parts of Srinagar city and other towns, especially in the south Kashmir district of Pulwama, following the attack on Inspector Masroor Ahmad Wani in the Eidgah area of the city earlier in the day, the officials said.
Mobile vehicle checkpoints have been established at all major intersections in Srinagar as well as at the city’s exit points, they added.
Cop shot at in Eidgah, security beefed up in Valley
