Srinagar, Sept 18: Days ahead of the second phase of polling in Jammu and Kashmir, militants made and abortive bid on the life of a national conference candidate from Bandipora and shot dead two party workers today even as separate incidents of overnight violence claimed 17 lives in the state, a police spokesman said. Militants fired on the house of NC candidate Javed Hussain Shah in Bandipora town last night injuring a civilian. His security guards retaliated following which the militants fled.
The ultras shot dead two National Conference leaders Ali Mohammad Dar and Ghulam Rasool Mir in the city today. A lesser known outfit al Arifeen, a shadow group of Lashker-e-Taiba, has claimed responsibility for the killings.

Bureau Report