Four policemen were dismissed from service on Monday in Kashmir, a day after four service rifles went missing from the residence of a senior Congress leader in Srinagar.
A police spokesman said the policemen, posted as Special Police Officers (SPOs) at the Srinagar residence of senior Congress leader and MLC Mohammad Muzaffar Parray, were dismissed for their “dereliction of duty and unauthorised absence.”
Three policemen were from the security wing and one from the Sopore district police.
The move also coincided with the attachment of Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Security Kashmir, Maqsood-ul-Zaman, with Security Headquarters in Srinagar. “Sajad Hussain, SSP Commandant JKAP-3rd Bn, in addition to his own duties, shall look after the work of SSP, Security Kashmir, till further orders,” said an official order.
The four service rifles were found missing on Sunday from the guard room in the high-security zone of Jawahar Nagar after one of the four SPOs reported it to the police.
The police, which launched an investigation, were not ruling out the weapons landing with the militant outfits.
On September 31, six rifles and one pistol were stolen from the residence of former People Democratic Party MLA Ajaz Mir from Jawahar Nagar. Later, an SPO, Adil Bashir Sheikh, 24, from Shopian surfaced in pictures posted by militants online.
