Kashmir Impulse Desk

Srinagar, July 22

A Jammu and Kashmir Police head constable was killed after suspected militants opened fire on a security team in a busy commercial area of Anantnag in south Kashmir, officials said on Wednesday.

The attack took place around 11:35 pm when a Special Operations Group team conducting a search operation in Lal Chowk came under fire at close range.

The slain officer was identified as Head Constable Ashiq Hussain, 35, of the India Reserve Police’s 3rd Battalion and a resident of Loolipora village in Budgam district.

Deputy Inspector General South Kashmir Range Javed Matto said the security team had entered the area after receiving specific intelligence about the presence of suspected militants.

The officer was critically injured in the firing and was taken to Government Medical College Hospital in Anantnag, where doctors declared him dead.

Security forces launched a cordon-and-search operation in and around Lal Chowk to track down the attackers.

Senior security officials, including Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat, visited the site and reviewed the operation.

The police chief was accompanied by senior officers from the J&K Police and other security agencies, who were briefed by field commanders on the circumstances of the attack and the progress of the search operation.

The body of the slain policeman was later taken to District Police Lines Anantnag, where senior security officials attended a wreath-laying ceremony.

The attack comes amid heightened security arrangements in south Kashmir, where the annual Amarnath Yatra has been suspended for several days because of adverse weather.

Security forces have intensified counter-terror operations following the incident, while the motive and identity of the attackers remain under investigation.

The attack has also raised concerns about security arrangements in Anantnag town, a major commercial centre that has witnessed heightened security presence during the Amarnath Yatra.