Militants ambush police vehicle

By Shujaat Bukhari

JAMMU, FEB. 23. Barely 24 hours after the formal announcement of ceasefire extension by the Prime Minister, Mr. A. B. Vajpayee, in Kashmir, militants struck in a big way. They attacked a police jeep and killed seven persons, including the Station House Officer of Kokernag and a civilian.

A group of armed militants ambushed a bullet-proof police jeep near Danpeth-Sagam village of Kokernag in south Kashmir, around 80 km from Srinagar, in the afternoon. They hurled grenades bringing the vehicle to a halt. Indiscriminate firing followed, hitting all the eight persons in the vehicle. Five of them - the SHO, Inspector Abdur Rasheed, constables Manzoor Ahmed, Abdul Ahad, Abdul Majid and driver Ghulam Nabi Dar, died on the spot. One of the injured, Jan Mohammad, has been rushed to the Bone and Joint Hospital in Srinagar. A civilian, Mohammad Ibrahim, and a constable, Mohammad Abdullah, died on the way to the hospital.

The militants fled with four self-loading rifles, one AK rifle and a wireless set. No militant outfit had claimed responsibility for the attack till late in the evening.

Strike in J&K

Meanwhile, a strike was observed in both Jammu and Kashmir for different reasons. In the Valley, people protested the Haigam and Maisuma killings. And in Jammu, the Joint Students Federation and other organisations called for a bandh to protest the admission of 67 students in the Government medical colleges, and the disappearance of the 18-year-old Meenakshi in Udhampur.

Reports from Srinagar said the strike was total. All shops and business establishments were closed with some youth pelting police with stones after Friday prayers in Jamia Masjid area. Traffic was off the roads. However, in Jammu, the strike was partial and traffic was plying normally.

People visit Bhat

Many people today visited the house of the All-Party Hurriyat Conference chairman, Prof. Abdul Gani Bhat, who survived a bid on his life in Tarzoo near Sopore on Thursday. They greeted him and prayed for his long life.

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Section  : National
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