Grenade hurled at police station in J-K, terrorist killed

A terrorist was on Monday killed after his accomplices lobbed a hand grenade at a police station in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district in a bid to free him, police said.

Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Mushtaq Ahmad Chopan, who was killed in the attack, tried to escape from Tral police station wearing a burqa. In the incident, constable Mehraj Din was also injured, a police spokesman said.

The incident took place at 12:30 pm. The terrorist hurled the grenade when Chopan was near the main gate of the police station, he said.

“At 12:30 pm, Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Mushtaq Chopan tried to escape from the police station wearing a burqa.

“When he was near the main gate, someone from outside lobbed a grenade as a part of the planned conspiracy to divert the attention (of police personnel) so that he could escape conveniently,” the spokesman said.

The grenade exploded inside the police station, near Chopan, resulting in his death, he said.

The spokesman said that a magisterial enquiry has been initiated under Sec 176 CrPC. “The circumstances under which he was escaping are being looked into,” he said.

Chopan was arrested from Baramulla district’s Sopore area, but his custody was transferred recently to the police station in connection with a militancy-related case, he said.

“A terrorist Mushtaq Ahmad Chopan died in grenade explosion when challenged by sentry while trying to escape from Police Station Tral,” Director General of Police SP Vaid said in a tweet.

This is the third attack on the police in the past 24 hours.

Two policemen were killed in separate attacks by terrorists in the Chrar-e-Sharief area of Budgam district and the Soura area of the city on Sunday.