A policeman was among two persons killed and six others were injured when militants attacked Sopore police station in Baramulla district with grenades and gunfire twice within an hour today.

Militant attack leaves 2 dead in J&K

A policeman was among two persons killed and six others were injured when militants attacked Sopore police station in Baramulla district with grenades and gunfire twice within an hour today.

The constable and a civilian, injured in the indiscriminate firing by militants on the police station in the North Kashmir town, succumbed to injuries on way to SMHS hospital here, official sources said.

They said both the persons were declared brought dead by doctors on arrival at the hospital. The deceased civilian who was hit by a bullet in the abdomen was identified as Pervaiz Ahmad, a resident of Hajam Mohalla locality of Sopore, 55 kms from here.

Additional Superintendent of Police Abdul Waheed told PTI over phone that the militants attacked the police station around 11.25 AM and the policemen guarding the complex retaliated. The exchange of fire continued for nearly 30 minutes.

Earlier, militants hurled a grenade towards the police station around 10.25 AM. The grenade exploded outside the main gate, injuring Mohammad Latief Mirchal who had unsuccessfully contested the last assembly elections as an independent from Sopore constituency.

Mirchal, a resident of Sopore, was undergoing treatment at SMHS hospital and his condition was stated to be stable, the sources said adding he was presently heading Awami Itihad party.

Waheed said the entire area was cordoned off and a hunt launched to nab the militants involved in the twin strikes, which gave credence to reports that militants were desperate to revive militancy in the border state. No militant outfit has so far claimed responsibility for the incidents.

The sources said the grenade attack on the police station caused panic among the people who were seen running helter skelter soon after hearing the big explosion.

Militants armed with sophisticated weapons then fired indiscriminately on the police station creating fear among the already panic-stricken shopkeepers and pedestrians.

"The entire town wore a deserted look as shopkeepers fled to safety leaving their establishments open. Many vehicles including two-wheelers were abandoned on the roads as their drivers took cover to escape the bullets," they said.

They described the attack on the police station as an attempt by militants to storm the building but the alertness of the sentries foiled their plan.

"The ultras fled in the face of retaliation by police," they said. Sopore, the home town of hardline separatist leader and chairman of breakaway faction of Hurriyat Conference Syed Ali Shah Geelani, has witnessed a series of militant attacks and fierce encounters over the past couple of months, the latest being the ambush on a CRPF patrol near Watlab on December 30 which left four CRPF jawans dead and another injured.

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