Two cops killed in separate attacks; one was guarding Char-i-Sharief, another Hurriyat leader

Srinagar, Feb 25: Two cops were killed in separate attacks by suspected militants in Srinagar and Budgam on Sunday.
Around the afternoon, a cop succumbed to his injuries after suspected militants attacked a police post guarding the famous shrine at Char-i-Sharief in central Kashmir’s Budgam district.
SSP Budgam Tejinder Singh said the policeman Kultair Singh succumbed to injuries at Army’s 92 base hospital here in Badamibagh Srinagar.
He said the ‘militants’ fired upon sentry post guarding the Ziyarat Sharief Sunday afternoon.
“In the incident, the sentry suffered injuries and was hospitalized,” he said.
A police spokesman said that the militants decamped with the deceased cop’s service rifle (SLR) as well.
Director General of Police Shesh Paul Vaid expressed grief.
“Pained at the loss of a valued colleague SGCt kultar Singh JKAP 13 Bn who attained martyredom in an attack on J&K Police guard for protection of Charar – e-shareif shrine,” Vaid wrote on social networking site Twitter.
Later in the evening, a policemen, guarding residence of Hurriyat Conference (M) leader, was killed after militants attacked him and decamped with his service rifle at Soura in outskirts of Srinagar.
The police spokesman said the militants attacked the police guard, Farooq Ahmad Yatoo of Chadoora Budgam, at residence of Hurriyat leader Fazal Haq Qureshi at Bilal Colony Soura in Srinagar here. He was shifted in critical condition to SKIMS Soura where he succumbed to injuries. In this attack too, militants decamped with the service rifle of the policeman.
“Martyr Kultar Singh of Samba is survived by aged parents, wife and two sons. Cases in both the incidents have been registered and investigation set in motion,” the police spokesman added.