Gunmen kill officers, free suspected militant in Srinagar hospital raid

Published February 6, 2018
Indian police men escort ambulance carrying the body of a police officer who was killed after he was fired at inside a hospital in Srinagar. — AP
Indian police men escort ambulance carrying the body of a police officer who was killed after he was fired at inside a hospital in Srinagar. — AP

Two gunmen opened fire on Tuesday in a hospital in India-held Kashmir where a suspected militant was brought for treatment, escaping with the high-profile prisoner and killing two police officers.

A manhunt is underway after the attackers stormed the Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital in Srinagar and opened fire on police guarding Naveed Jutt, a suspected militant imprisoned in the restive province since 2014.

One officer died at the scene while another later succumbed to his injuries in hospital, deputy inspector general of police Ghulam Hassan Bhat told AFP.

The trio escaped on a motorcycle and were still at large. Police have set up roadblocks and fanned out in search teams across Srinagar.

Jutt was second in command of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant group at the time of his arrest.

The group is active in India-held Kashmir, regularly staging armed assaults on the roughly half a million Indian soldiers deployed in the divided Himalayan territory.

India accuses Pakistan of arming, training and deploying militant groups, including LeT, to foment unrest in the part of Kashmir held by New Delhi, where many support the rebel cause.

Islamabad denies the allegations, saying it only provides diplomatic and moral support to the Kashmiri struggle for self-determination.

LeT has been blamed for a string of deadly attacks inside India, most notably the Mumbai carnage in November 2008 that left more than 160 people dead on the streets of the financial capital.

Opinion

Editorial

Maintaining balance
Updated 16 Feb, 2025

Maintaining balance

It must take a more proactive approach to establishing Pakistan’s bona fides.
Welcome return
16 Feb, 2025

Welcome return

IT is almost here; the moment Pakistan has long been waiting for — the first International Cricket Council...
Childhood trauma
16 Feb, 2025

Childhood trauma

BEING a child in this society should not be so hard. But recurrent reports of child abuse — from burying girl...
The Peca problem
Updated 15 Feb, 2025

The Peca problem

The fight for fundamental freedoms is not the media’s alone, but one that concerns every citizen.
Miners in danger
15 Feb, 2025

Miners in danger

YESTERDAY’S devastating terrorist attack in Harnai, which killed at least 11 coal miners and injured seven others,...
Solar panels scam
15 Feb, 2025

Solar panels scam

THE scam involving over-invoicing to the tune of more than Rs69bn in the import of solar panels raises many ...