Most of the temples in Kashmir are guarded by police (File)
A policeman in Kashmir was killed after security guards at a temple "mistook him for anti-national element" as the cop allegedly tried to force his entry into the temple during night, the police said.
The constable has been identified as Ajay Dhar, a resident of Langate Handwara. In a statement, the police termed the incident as unfortunate.
A senior police officer said the sentry opened fire in the air when constable Dhar started banging the temple door late last night.
"Despite firing in the air (by the sentry), he (constable Dhar) kept banging the door without revealing his identity. It's a clear case of mistaken identity as the sentry assumed it was an attack," said Vijay Kumar, Inspector General of Police.
Most of the temples in Kashmir are guarded by police. The incident is yet another example of security paranoia in Kashmir.
In the past, there have been incidents where civilians have been killed by security forces in the night time because of "mistaken" identity.