Kills SHO, driver; wounds DSP

SRINAGAR - A station house officer (SHO) of the Kashmir police and an SRTC driver were killed and a deputy superintendent of police injured when a member of the J&K Armed Police opened indiscriminate fire on his superiors near, the Deshnami Akhara building on the Budshah Chowk here this morning.

A member of the J&K Armed Police (JKAP) opened unprovoked fire on his officers who were overseeing security arrangements for the departure of the Chari Mubarak (Holy Mac.o) from the Deshnami Akhara at around 8 this morning, the ONS said.

The station house officer of the Maisuma police station,Ghulam Nabi Parray, and an SRTC driver, Basheer Ahmad Khan, were killed on the spot, and the deputy superintendent of police '(DSP) for security, Ghulam Jeelani Baba, was injured. The driver was present at the scene in connection with yatra duty.

The injured DSP was rushed to the SMHS hospital where doctors referred him to the SKIMS. His condition was reported to be serious.

The attacker, Kabeer Singh of the 9 Bn JKAP, hailing from Udhampur, was immediately taken into custody.

He had fired 23 rounds from his service carbine, and only five bullets were found in the magazine after the attack. The attack was deliberate, and the DSP was the actual-target, the CNS quoted sources as having said. A criminal case has been registered by the police. .

Heartrending scenes were' witnessed as the body of the slain driver arrived home in Gurgari Mohalla, Nawab Bazaar. The driver was a father of five children, four of them girls, and the sole earning hand of the family.