A captive HizbulMujahideen militant was killed and a policeman injured in a grenade blast in Tral police station on Monday.
DIG south Kashmir Amit Kumar told Greater Kashmir that a Hizb militant who was in police custody died and a policeman was injured when militants threw a grenade at Tral police station.
“A burqa clad person came out from police station at around 12:30 p.m. He was stopped by sentry. In the meantime, somebody threw a grenade to help the burqa clad militant escape. The grenade exploded near the militant, leaving him dead and causing splinter injuries to one policeman,” Kumar said.
Police identified the slain militant as Mushtaq Ahmad Chopan alias Haroon son of Ghulam Muhammad Chopan of Wagad hamlet in Aripal tehsil of Tral. A magisterial inquiry has been initiated into the incident.
Mushtaq along with his two associates was arrested by government forces at Sopore on January 9 this year.
IGP Kashmir, SP Pani, told Greater Kashmir, “Prima facie it looks the militant attempted to escape from custody and died due to grenade splinter injuries. We have recovered a pistol from his possession, but everything will be clear after the autopsy and magisterial inquiry report,” he said.
“Police are holding an investigation whether the grenade was lobbed by militant’s associate or he was carrying the grenade.” As soon the word about the death of Hizb militant spread in Tral, shopkeepers pulled down their shutters and traffic went off the roads.
Massive clashes also broke out between the youth and government forces in native village of the militant. Witnesses said that youth pelted forces with stones. Forces resorted to aerial firing and teargas shelling to disperse the protesters. In the evening, his body was handed over to the family. Two masked militants appeared at the scene and fired many rounds in the air to offer gun salute to their slain colleague. Large number of people assembled at his house and raised pro-freedom and pro-Islam slogans.
The villagers however decided to perform slain militant’s burial on Tuesday morning at 11 a.m.