Cop shot at in Kashmir

Srinagar, dhns: Militants shot at and injured a special police officer (SPO) of Jammu and Kashmir Police in south Kashmir's Anantnag district on Thursday.

Reports said that militants fired at SPO Ranbir Singh, posted outside the deputy commissioner's Office in Anantnag. Singh was hit by a bullet in the abdomen and was shifted to army's 92-Base Hospital in Srinagar.

Special Police Officers are youths engaged on a fixed monthly remuneration to fight militants. In most cases, they are inadequately trained and with no weapons.

The latest attack comes just two days after security forces killed one of the most-wanted militant commanders, Talha Rasheed, the nephew of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Muhammad chief Moulana Masood Azhar, in the neighbouring Pulwama district.

Meanwhile, police arrested an overground worker of militants in Kulgam district. SSP Kulgam Shridhar Patil said a police team arrested Hizb-ul-Mujahideen worker Showkat Lone along with a pistol and four rounds. "Showkat was tasked with carrying out attacks and snatching weapons from security forces," he said.