Cop shot dead in Sopore

Srinagar: Suspected militants on Wednesday shot dead a policeman in Sopore town of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.Correspondent from north Kashmir said that suspected militants appeared near the Iqbal Market in the Apple town around 8 am and opened indiscriminate fire on a selection grade constable Manzoor Ahmad, 38, son of Ghulam Ahmad Najar of Ajar area in the neighboring Bandipore district. The cop in civvies received number of bullets in the random firing by the gunmen. He was removed to the nearby sub-district hospital, where the doctors declared him brought dead.Quoting sources, PBI correspondent said that the slain cop was posted with Superintendent of Police (SP) Handwara as a reader. He was currently staying with his in-laws in Batpora locality of the town.The shootout triggered panic in the busy Iqbal market of the town. The traders downed their shutters as the gunshots reverberated the area.Later in the day, Army’s 22 Rashtriya Rifles and Special Operations Group (SOG) of police cordoned off bus stand Sopore, and carried out search operations. Besides subjecting pedestrians to frisking, the forces were also see demanding identity cards from the people, particularly youth. The crackdown continued for over 90 minutes. However, no one was arrested. “Some unidentified militants fired upon the cop near Mother and Child hospital. He died on the spot. A case has been registered in this regard,” a police spokesman said.