Off-duty police officer shot at by militants in Srinagar

Several policemen, mostly off-duty, were shot dead by militants in a spate of attacks in 2021 and 2022. However, there had been a fall in such incidents this year till Sunday's attack.

Srinagar: Unidentified pistol-borne militants shot at and critically injured an off-duty police officer near Eidgah area of Srinagar on Sunday.

Reports said the militants fired upon a police inspector identified as Masror Ahmad when he was playing cricket with local boys at Eidgah ground in Srinagar, leaving him in a pool of blood. The injured police officer was immediately shifted to a nearby hospital. His condition is stated to be critical.

Sources said the officer was posted at district police lines (DPL), Srinagar. Immediately after the attack, police and paramilitary CRPF rushed to the spot and cordoned off the area to nab the attackers.

Giving details about the incident, Kashmir Zone Police wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “#Terrorists fired upon & injured Inspector Masroor Ahmad near Eidgah, Srinagar. He was immediately shifted to hospital for treatment. Preliminary #investigation reveals that a pistol was used in this #terror crime. Area cordoned off, case registered.”

Several policemen, mostly off-duty, were shot dead by militants in a spate of attacks in 2021 and 2022. However, there had been a lull in such incidents this year till today’s attack.

Police maintain that the militants were choosing soft targets to make news and such killings are carried out to instill fear in the minds of common people.

“Most of the time, hybrid militants carry out attacks on civilians and unarmed policemen. A pistol in majority of cases or an odd AK-47 in some cases, is all the weapon their handlers trust these recruits with,” a senior police officer told DH.