A woman was killed and another injured by gunmen in Pulwama on Sunday afternoon, as militants stepped up attacks on mainstream political leaders and the homes of security personnel in the past 24 hours in south Kashmir.
A police official said 18-year-old Yasmeena, a resident of Khonmoh, was killed and Rubeena, a resident of Seer Jagir, was injured when militants barged into the latter’s house and fired at them. Sources said the attackers mentioned the name of the injured woman and said “she owed them money.”
In a separate incident in Tral, militants lobbed a grenade at the residence of National Conference leader Muhammad Ashraf Bhat. “A CRPF jawan on duty was injured,” said a police official. Sunday’s attack is the third such grenade attack on mainstream leaders this week. Earlier, residences of Tral MLA, Mushtaq Shah and Wachi MLA Ajaz Mir — both from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) — were attacked.
A top police official confirmed to The Hindu that militants have stepped up raids on mainstream leaders in south Kashmir. “Militants raided the houses of PDP zonal president Peer Ashraf in Tral and two workers in Kulgam too,” said the official.
The militants also ransacked the house of army jawan Ishfaq Ahmad of Pulwama and policeman Ghulam Ahmad of Tral in the past 24 hours.
Eviction threat
Hizbul Mujahideen commander Riyaz Naikoo has threatened to enforce “migration of mainstream leaders and workers, besides the policemen, if ransacking of militant houses does not stop in south Kashmir”.
“Treat it as a last warning. All small or big workers of PDP and NC are warned to stop their activities... it is gun versus gun. What have our families to do with it? If our houses are damaged, we will go after every mainstream leader and policemen,” Hizb commander Naikoo is seen as saying in a video released on Sunday.
Sources said several houses of Hizb militants in south Kashmir were raided this week after PDP leader Showkat Kumar was killed outside his house in Shopian on October 16. Supporters of the militants also tried to burn the house as a Hizb militant was also killed in the scuffle with Kumar’s family.
Since then militants have targeted PDP MLAs and workers in south Kashmir “to avenge raids on Hizb militants’ houses”, said sources.
Among other militants, Hizb commander Hammad Khan’s house was raided by the security forces after the killing of Kumar.
Militant killed
Meanwhile, security forces gunned down a militant in north Kashmir’s Handwara.
An Army spokesman said a contact with a group of militants was “established around 5 a.m. on Sunday”.
“One terrorist was killed a weapon recovered from Langate area,” said the spokesman.
