Srinagar, March 8
Barely 24 hours after blast at the Border Security Force camp in Nowhatta, militants struck again in Srinagar, killing two policemen and injuring six paramilitary jawans today.

Elsewhere in the state, six militants, two soldiers and a Congress activist were among 12 persons killed. Four others were also injured in militancy-related incidents over the past 24 hours.

Official sources said that militants shot dead police constable Bashir Ahmad at Maisuma near here this evening.

A report from Jammu said the toll in the Surankote encounter had gone up to seven, including two soldiers and five militants.

It said unidentified gunmen shot dead three persons at Udhampur late last night.

Suspected militants detonated a powerful improvised explosive device (IED) near the BSF camp at Nowhatta in the downtown area last night, setting ablaze a couple of rooms of the building, a BSF spokesman said.

About a dozen nearby houses were also damaged in the fire, the spokesman added. However, there were no reports of any injury.

He denied that it was a rocket attack and said militants had planted the IED in between the BSF camp and a nearby house. But residents of the area told Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Khursheed Ahmad Ganai that “after the blast, BSF personnel had allegedly set the houses on fire”.

Today, militants hurled a hand grenade on the security forces near the BSF camp, injuring six BSF and CRPF personnel.

Panic gripped the Dalgate area when militants sprayed bullets on a police constable attached with the flying squad, Ghulam Mohammad. He died before admission to hospital, sources said.

Militants shot dead a Congress activist Mohammad Ishaq Mir at Magam in the Central Kashmir district of Badgam.

A report from Baramula said that militants fired about half-a-dozen rifle grenades at a security force camp at Check-Seri Warpora in North Kashmir today, causing injuries to a surrendered militant.

According to police reports from Jammu militants killed Tej Ram, his wife and son, at Hadok village in the Ramban belt on Thursday. As the news of the massacre reached the town traders closed their shops and a complete bandh was observed. Even the passenger transports services were disrupted by the slogan-shouting persons protesting against the killing of innocent people.