SPO along with wife, daughter shot dead in Pulwama

PULWAMA — A special police officer (SPO), Fayaz Ahmad, died on Sunday night after suspected militants barged into his house in Hariparigam area of Awantipora in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district and opened fire. The police said that Fayaz Ahmad, his wife and daughter were severely injured in the attack who also succumbed later.

Fayaz Ahmed died on the spot and his wife succumbed to her injuries at Government Medical College hospital in Anantnag, the police said. The SPO’s daughter, who was is in a critical condition and had been shifted to a hospital in Srinagar, also succumbed to her injuries.

Locals identified the deceased as Fayaz Ahmed, his wife Raja Begum and their 22-year-old daughter Rafia Jan.

Late on Sunday, the police said that the area had been cordoned off and the Joint Forces were looking for the assailants, however, attackers managed to escape from the spot.

Two JeM militants carried out Awantipora attack: IGP Kashmir

Inspector General of Police Kashmir, Vijay Kumar on Monday said that two militants, most likely belonging to the Jaish-e-Mohammad outfit carried out the fatal attack on the special police officer, his wife and their daughter in Hariparigam Awantipora last night.

IGP Kumar, who talked to the media on the sidelines of his visit to the bereaved family to express solidarity and condolences, hinted that SPO Fayaz was the prime target of the gunmen. “They fired indiscriminately at the SPO. His wife and daughter came to rescue him, but were shot at,” IGP said.

The IGP further said that as per their inputs, two militants, “who looked foreign by their appearance” carried out the attack.

Asked about the outfit behind the attack, Kumar said, “It is the JeM which is active in the area, so it must be JeM”. The IGP said that the militants behind the fatal attack will be neutralized soon.

He also expressed sympathies with the bereaved family while also praying for peace to the departed souls.