SRINAGAR: Militants gunned down Ghulam Hassan Shah, the maternal uncle of Indian home minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed at Bijbehara town ship, 40 km from here, Thursday night, according to official reports in Srinagar.
Some unidentified militants forced their entry into the house of the victims, pumped bullets into him close range and fled, police sources said,
Sayeed rushed to Bijbehara immediately after his arrival here. He is expected to fly to Leh after attending the funeral of Shah.
The home minister is here on a two day visit to take stock of the law and order situation in the Kashmir valley and the frontier region of Ladakh.
This is the second time militants have attacked the Mufti’s family. Last year his daughter was kidnapped by militants and was freed in exchange for the release of five militants.
Elsewhere in the state, a two year old boy who was injured in an incident of cross fire in Safakadal, in Srinagar succumbed to injuries late Thursday night.
Militants attacked a security forces patrol party in Safakadal area Thursday with sophisticated weapons in the return fire, five people were injured. The outlawed Students Liberation Front” has claimed responsibility for the attack.
A delayed report received from Beerwah in North Kashmir said militants attacked security forces with a powerful grenade and exchange fire. However there was no report of any causality.
Meanwhile, security forces raided several suspected hideouts of militants in Srinagar and other places in the valley, officials said.
Thousands of people have started assembling in the historica Hazratbal shrine following a call by militant organisations.
On Wednesday, the security forces were attacked in Sadakadal and Rainawari in downtown city and Shaheed gunj in civil line area, there were no reports of any causalities so far, official sources said here.
Militants hurled a powerful grenade on a security force patrol party in Shaheed gun locality Tuesday morning. Some armed youth also fired upon security personnel in Sadakadal and Rainawari areas. All the three areas were brought under curfew. A massive hunt has been launched.
Article extracted from this publication >> June 15, 1990
