FILE PHOTO:
A policeman was killed in a gunfight with militants in Hajin area of north Kashmir’s Bandipora district on Sunday.
An official said that gunfight erupted after government forces cordoned off the Mir Mohalla area of Hajin after inputs about the presence of militants.
“Gunfight began after militants opened fire on forces who were laying a siege to the area. A policeman of Special Operations Group (SOG) was critically injured in initial exchange of fire,” he said.
The injured policeman, identified as constable Zaheer Abbas, a resident of Poonch, was shifted to a hospital where he succumbed.
The militants, believed to be two in number, escaped from the site of the gunfight.
Soon after the firing stopped, locals took to streets and clashed with the forces to help the militants escape.