Srinagar: In the first terror attack targeting police personnel in the Kashmir Valley this year, a lone terrorist, believed to be a Pakistani, shot dead a policeman on Amarnath Yatra security duty in South Kashmir’s Anantnag town on Wednesday.
The attack on Head Constable Ashiq Hussain Qureshi occurred around 12:30 pm at Lal Chowk in Anantnag.
The Resistance Front (TRF), a shadow group of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), claimed responsibility for the targeted attack in a social media post shortly after the incident, officials said.
Qureshi, a resident of Beerwah in central Kashmir, was posted in the Jammu and Kashmir Police’s IRP 3rd Battalion. He was critically injured and rushed to the Government Medical College Hospital in Anantnag, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
Unaware of the terrorist’s evil designs, a shopkeeper, from whom the deceased was making some purchases, had asked the unidentified man whether he wanted to buy anything, as he had been standing outside the shop for quite some time holding an assault rifle wrapped in cloth, the officials said.
The attack has sparked outrage within police circles, as the area was supposed to be heavily secured given the ongoing Amarnath Yatra.
Following the killing, security forces immediately cordoned off the incident site and launched a widespread counter-terrorism operation across all four districts of South Kashmir — Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian, and Kulgam.
In this crackdown, more than 2,500 suspected Over Ground Workers (OGWs) and terror associates in one of the largest anti-terror operations conducted in recent months.
Officials said the detained individuals are being questioned and verified to ascertain their possible involvement in activities linked to terrorism, including providing logistical, financial, communication, transportation and shelter support to militant organizations.
According to official sources, nearly 700 suspects were detained in Srinagar alone, while more than 100 were picked up in Ganderbal. Similar operations in south and north Kashmir contributed to the overall figure of over 2,500 detentions.
Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat visited Lal Chowk for a first-hand assessment of the situation, while security forces established mobile checkpoints and carried out extensive search operations.
At the Anantnag police lines, officers from the police, army, and paramilitary forces stood side by side, laying wreaths in honour of their fallen colleague.
But the day’s heaviest sorrow belonged to Qureshi’s family. As the tricolour-draped coffin was lifted for the journey to his ancestral home in Budgam, his mother and brother clung to it, tears streaming down their faces, her cries echoing as the ambulance carried him away one last time.
After the Anantnag attack, the Jammu and Kashmir Police detained over 1,000 suspected overground workers (OGWs) for questioning, while senior officers across the four districts personally monitored the intensified search drives to prevent further security breaches.
Condemning the killing, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed deep grief over the loss of life and affirmed that such acts would not deter peace efforts.
He said that the brave cop made the ultimate sacrifice in a cowardly terror attack, adding that while such incidents are not new, they will neither weaken the resolve of the administration nor allow the attackers to succeed in their intentions.
Refusing to make any political statements out of respect for the slain policeman, the chief minister said his sole focus was to pay tribute to the martyr and express full faith in the police to track down the perpetrators.
“Today, on this occasion, when we have not even buried that brave hero yet, making any political statement standing here would be irresponsible and wrong on my part. So today, I will only offer my tributes to him; we will discuss other matters some other time,” he said.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha also strongly condemned the attack, assuring the public that the heinous crime would not go unpunished and that security forces on the ground would swiftly bring those responsible to justice.
Leaders across the political spectrum, including CPI(M)’s M Y Tarigami, Peoples Conference president Sajad Gani Lone, and Apni Party chief Altaf Bukhari joined in condemning the targeted killing as security forces remained on high alert throughout the valley.
