Kashmir: Cop, wife die as militants open fire; daughter succumbs later

Both Fayaz Ahmad and his wife succumbed to their injuries at night, while their daughter, who was admitted to Government Medical College, Anantnag, also succumbed to her injuries early Monday morning

A Special Police Officer (SPO), his wife and their 22-year-old daughter were killed when militants attacked the family on Sunday night in Hariparigam village in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district.

Special Police Officer Fayaz Ahmad, his wife and their 22-year-old daughter were killed when militants attacked their family in Hariparigam village of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Sunday. (Waseem Andrabi/HT Photo)

Police have identified the SPO as Fayaz Ahmad. Officials said a group of militants forcibly barged into his house and fired indiscriminately, resulting in injuries to the family.

Both Ahmad and his wife succumbed to their injuries at night, while their daughter, who was admitted to Government Medical College, Anantnag, also succumbed to her injuries early Monday morning.

“In this terror incident, Fayaz Ahmed, his wife and their daughter received critical gunshot injuries. Ahmad and his wife succumbed to their injuries. The area has been cordoned off. Search is going on,” a police spokesman said.

Jammu and Kashmir’s lieutenant governor, Manoj Sinha termed the killing brutal. “I strongly condemn brutal terrorist attack on SPO Fayaz Ahmad & his family at Awantipora. This is an act of cowardice & perpetrators of violence will be brought to justice very soon. My deepest condolences to the family of martyr & prayers for the recovery of injured,” tweeted Sinha.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesman Altaf Thakur strongly condemned the attack and called it cowardly and barbaric. “Barging into the house of a cop and killing him and his family members is nothing but a pure form of terrorism,” he said.

Thakur said the act deserved the strongest condemnation and that those behind the act would meet the same fate. “What was the fault of the innocent wife and daughter of policeman Fayaz Ahmad? Killing women is [not] bravery but a purely cowardly attack which deserves the highest form of condemnation,” Thakur said.

Police and the army have launched a joint operation in the area.

This is the latest in a series of attacks on locals in the Union Territory.

On June 23, a shop owner was killed when gunmen opened fire on him in Srinagar.

Police had said that militants fired upon a mobile phone shop owner Umar Nazir Bhat of Kelashpora, inside his shop at Main Chowk Habba Kadal in Old City.

On June 22, a police officer was killed in a suspected militant attack on Srinagar outskirts.

Officials said that Inspector Pervaiz Ahmad, who worked with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) wing of police, was fired upon near his home at Nowgam.

He was rushed to Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) hospital in the Old City, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.