Imtiyaz Ahmad Mir was shot dead by gunmen near Romshi Nallah around 4:20 pm.
A police officer was shot dead at Wahibugh in South Kashmir's Pulwama district today, in the most recent incident of terrorists targeting security personnel in the state.
Official sources said the victim, Sub-Inspector Imtiyaz Ahmad Mir, was killed by unidentified gunmen who waylaid his car near Romshi Nallah around 4:20 pm. Mr Mir, a resident of Sontbugh, was posted in the Criminal Investigation Department wing of the police in Srinagar's Sheergadi area.
"We have lost SI Imtiyaz of JKP in a terror incident at Pulwama. We condemn this gruesome killing and pay our sincere tribute to the officers. Our thoughts and prayers are with the grieving family at this juncture," the Kashmir Zone Police said in a tweet.
Incidentally, Mr Mir was an open critic of terror on the social media. In response to the death of a local policeman who was killed by terrorists in the Valley earlier this year, he had posted on Facebook: "So d job is done!!! Another feat achieved!! Once again d auspicious night became d victim!! Once again v vll witness people justifying these dastardly acts!! Once again v vll witness silence from d other camp!! But who is going to tell d little little children that der fathers wr victims of hate!! Hw many lives more do u want!! Hw can a muslim kill another one... hw cud dat killer eat sehri after making a child orphan For heavens sake, stop this mindless violence!!"
In another attack, militants shot at Muhammad Amin -- a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) activist -- from a close range in Gangbugh area on the outskirts of Srinagar district. He was rushed to a hospital in a critical state, where he died soon afterwards.
Former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti condoled both the deaths on Twitter. "Again a young budding SI Imtiyaz Mir & Mohd Amin Dar, a political activist, fell prey to the cycle of violence. Condemning these acts of violence & conveying my heartfelt condolences to families of Mohd Amin Dar - our party activist and Sub Inspector Imtiyaz Mir of @JmuKmrPolice," she tweeted.
Terrorists have lately begun targeting local policemen as a means to cut off support for the administration. Three policemen were abducted and killed in Shopian's Kapran village late last month. The incident was condemned by separatists and political parties alike, and less than 24 hours later, India called off talks with Pakistan in protest.
Terror group Hizbul Mujahideen had threatened local police personnel of dire consequences unless they quit their jobs by September 19. A week earlier, suspected militants killed a 45-year-old armyman who had come home to Kulgam to mourn the death of his teenage son.
Sniper attacks by Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists have also emerged as a new source of concern for security personnel in the Valley, with the army suffering three casualties since mid-September. Kashmir police said they are "re-calibrating their strategy" to thwart such sneak attacks in the future.
Three army personnel were killed in separate incidents, one of which involved sniping, between October 25 and 26. They were identified as Rajendra Singh (22), who was hit by a stone thrown by a protester; Lance Naik Brajesh Kumar (32), who sustained fatal splinter injuries during an encounter in Sopore's Malgunipura; and Sepoy Ngamsiamliana (23), who died to a sniper bullet at an army camp in Tral.