Fayaz Bukhari
—Excelsior/Aabid Nabi
SRINAGAR, May 26: Militants tonight shot dead a person in whose premises a telecom tower was installed at Sopore, a day after a BSNL franchise shop was attacked in the area, killing one person and injuring two others. And in another incident, militants took away rifle of a police man in Pulwama in South Kashmir.
Police said that militants killed one Ghulam Hassan Dar son of Abdul Khaliq Dar at Dooru, Sopore in North Kashmir in whose premises a cellular tower was installed. Dar was a former militant and his brother Tanveer Ahmad is Sarpanch belonging to Congress party.
Police and Army have reached the spot and massive search operation has been launched against the militants responsible for the attack.
Militants had earlier last week asked Dar to uproot the tower or face consequences. They had also threatened two more owners of the premises where tower is installed at Dangerpora and Shiva in Sopore. However, all the three towers were shut down soon after the militant threatening by the operators.
The attack on the telecom towers follows the appearance last week of posters – bearing the name of the unknown militant group Lashkar-e-Islam – in the same area, warning phone companies to shut down their operations.
“We warn these telecommunication companies to close all networking services, close their offices and stop recharging services as well. We warn the retailers as well to stop recharging the subscribers within seven days,” the posters read.
Meanwhile, militants today snatched a rifle from the police guards in Pulwama while Police arrested the driver of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who snatched rifle from his PSO two days ago.
Militants today barged into a police post at District Hospital in Pulwama in South Kashmir and escaped with a rifle after providing misleading information to cops.
Police said that at around 5.45 p.m. two persons appeared outside the post and told them about an altercation going on in the hospital casualty. The policeman placed his Insas rifle in the post and went to the casualty to check the incident.
The two persons after giving misleading information escaped with the rifle from the scene. The rifle belonged to Mahir Maqsood Dar of Rambagh, Srinagar.
After the incident, large contingents of police and paramilitary personnel reached the spot and conducted searches. Dar was taken away by the Special Operation Group (SOG) for questioning.
Police in the meantime, today arrested Shabir Ahmad Sofi, driver of a local BJP leader, who snatched rifle from his PSO two days ago at Pulwama.
Sofi was wandering in Tahab area without weapon. Police was alerted and they arrested him.
Sofi told the Police that the weapon was taken away by Ishfaq Ahmad Baba son of Ghulam Qadir Baba of Tahab Pulwama. “He had told me to snatch the rifle and promised me Rs 50, 000. When I handed over the rifle to him, he fled away”, Sofi told Police.
Baba, 23, has reportedly joined Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT). Last year, he had fled from home to join LeT but was arrested by Kulgam police. He was released by police after 15 days of counselling.
Police and Army later cordoned off Chakura village in Rajpora area and conducted searches. Sofi had spent a night with Baba in the woods of the village.
And in North Kashmir’s Sopore area, a day after the attack on a BSNL franchise, all the telecom outlets, showrooms, offices and other retailers were shut in twin towns of Sopore and Baramulla in North Kashmir.
Militants yesterday fired at Iqra Telecommunication, a BSNL franchise, at Shah Faisal Market killing one person and injuring two others.
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