Srinagar: A Jammu and Kashmir police cop opened fire in the middle of night in Shopian after “sensing suspicious movement”.
The sound of gun shots woke up people living around Zainpora area of the district who in turn sensed that another “encounter” had started.
It was around 1 am during the intervening night of Thursday and Friday that a cop who was on duty at JKP’s Special Operations Group’s (SOG) Zainpora camp opened fire.
“The sentry (cop on duty guarding sensitive establishments) sensed some suspicious movement (of militants around the SOG camp) that he fired some gun shots in air,” a police official posted in Shopian told the FreePressKashmir over phone.
“But all is ok,” he asserted.
JKP spokesperson also said that there was “nothing to worry”.
A local from the area told the FreePressKashmir that he heard the gun fire shots “thinking that encounter between militants and armed forces had started”.
“We woke up but then the firing stopped immediately after it had started suddenly,” he said. “We could not sleep till Sehri (pre-dawn meals during holy Ramzan in Muslim faith).”
Zainpora is native village of MLA Wachi assembly segment, Advocate Aijaz Ahmad Mir.
The faceoff between militants and Indian army and other armed forces agencies have picked up in Kashmir since January this year following the death of popular militant commander Burhan Muzaffar Wani on July 08, 2016 triggering widespread anti-India uprising.
Security agencies believe that around two hundred militants are active in Kashmir.
The districts of Shopian, Pulwama, Kulgam and Anantnag have been termed as “sensitive areas” because of the “active militancy”.
On June 06, a college going student was killed in nearby Ganowpora area of the district after the Indian armed forces launched CASO following reports of militant presence in the area. However, people came out of their homes just before Iftaar (the evening meals time in holy Ramzan) helping the suspected militants to “flee”.
The youth resorted to stone pelting and armed forces opened fire injuring at least ten civilians one of whom – Adil Farooq Magray – succumbed to his injuries that evening.
Shopian district is observing shutdown for third consecutive day today against the student killing. There has been depolyment of forces in the town and other places but the “situation is under control”.
Kashmir Valley is observing shutdown today against the student killing on the call of joint resistance leadership.
