Lashkar militants kill 2 non-locals in Shopian

Samaan Lateef

Srinagar, October 18

Two non-local labourers were killed in a grenade attack, three days after unidentified terrorists killed a Kashmiri Pandit in south Kashmir, the police said on Tuesday.

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The police said a “hybrid militant” lobbed a grenade into a pre-fabricated shelter rented by the labourers in the Harmen area of south Kashmir’s Shopian district.

“Hybrid terrorists” are unlisted radicalised youths who carry out terror strikes and slip back into their routine lives often without leaving any trace.

The labourers were asleep when they were attacked, leaving them fatally wounded, officials told The Tribune.

The two labourers, Monish Kumar and Ram Sagar, both residents of Kannauj, UP, were shifted to the Shopian district hospital where they were declared brought dead. Acting swiftly, the police said they arrested the attacker from his home. Two “hybrid militants” of Lashkar-e-Toiba have been arrested in a police raid, said Additional Director General of Police Vijay Kumar. “Hybrid terrorist of proscribed terror outfit LeT Imran Bashir Ganie of Harmen Shopian who lobbed the grenade was arrested by the Shopian police,” Kumar tweeted.

Kumar said a hybrid militant involved in grenade throwing was arrested late last night and another was arrested today.

“Two people have been arrested so far and the main accused has confessed to the crime,” Kumar said. A hunt for others is on, he said.

Kumar said it was revealed during the interrogation of the main accused that he lobbed the grenade at the behest of Lashkar-e-Toiba commanders Danish and Abid.

In Kannauj, District Magistrate Shubhrant Kumar Shukla said the victims had gone to Kashmir two months ago and were working as labourers in Shopian.

(With inputs)