A head constable of the Jammu and Kashmir Police was killed after suspected militants opened fire on him while he was on duty for the annual Amarnath Yatra in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district on Wednesday, officials said.
The attack took place at about 12:30 p.m. near Lal Chowk on the Anantnag-Kokernag road, where Head Constable Ashiq Hussain was deployed as part of security arrangements for the Hindu pilgrimage.
Hussain, a resident of Budgam district, suffered critical injuries in the attack and was taken to Government Medical College Hospital in Anantnag, where he died despite treatment, officials said.
Security forces rushed additional personnel to the area, sealed off the locality and launched a search operation to track down the attackers.
Authorities later demolished the houses of two suspected militants, prompting criticism from opposition leaders.
People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti condemned the killing of the police officer but criticised the demolition of the houses and the reported detention of more than 1,000 people.
“The killing of a police officer in the line of duty is a heinous and condemnable act,” Mufti said in a statement. “But detaining over a thousand people and demolishing the homes of families of two alleged militants amounts to collective punishment that has no place in a democracy.”
The attack occurred during the annual Amarnath Yatra, which is being conducted under extensive security arrangements across Jammu and Kashmir following heightened concerns over militant violence. The Yatra has been suspended from last few days in view of the the bad weather.
The incident also comes weeks after security forces killed an alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba militant, Zakir Ganai, in an operation in Shopian district on July 8.
Security agencies continued search operations in the area on Wednesday as they sought to identify and apprehend those responsible for the attack.
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