Militants' bid to attack ex-sarpanch's house foiled in J&K

Srinagar: Militants' attempt to target the house of a former sarpanch associated with the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) in the poll-bound south Kashmir was foiled by the inmates who raised a hue and cry, forcing them to flee, police said today.

A group of four militants tried to enter the house of former sarpanch Abdul Qayoom Sheikh at Nagbal village in Shopian district, 60 kms from here, around 2030 hours yesterday, a police official said.

They said the militants fled the scene after the inmates of the house raised a hue and cry, attracting the attention of their neighbours who rushed to the scene to help the family.

"A case has been registered on a complaint of the family and investigation set into motion to identify the militants and bring them to book," the official said.

He said the militants tried to break windowpanes and doors of the house, apparently to scare the people ahead of bypolls to the Anantnag parliamentary constituency, which is spread over south Kashmir districts of Shopian, Kulgam, Pulwama and Anantnag, on April 12.

Besides the Anantnag Lok Sabha seat, the Srinagar parliamentary constituency is also going to bypolls on April 9 and had witnessed a sudden spurt in militant attacks which left a CRPF jawan and a policeman dead and over two dozen others including two civilians injured since this month.

While two army personnel were injured when militants targeted a convoy near a hospital on Pantha Chowk-Parimpora bypass on April 1, a policeman was killed and 15 others were injured in an attack on a joint party of police and CRPF at Nowhatta in downtown Srinagar next day.

A CRPF jawan was killed and seven others - five jawans and two civilians - were injured in another attack on a security convoy at Pantha Chowk on Monday.