Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists had put out warning videos last week
Three out of four police officers kidnapped by terrorists in Shopian in Jammu and Kashmir have been killed. The police managed to rescue one police officer with the help of villagers, the home ministry said.The terrorists barged into the houses of the policemen - three of them are Special Police Officers - in Kapran village and dragged them out, said the police.
Earlier this week, Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists had put out videos in which they had said policemen should resign or prepare to be killed. The home ministry expressed worry about repercussions as the videos floated around in several villages.
The home ministry officials are of the view that the kidnappings occurred as terrorists were under tremendous pressure due to the anti-terror operations by security forces.
Here are the updates:
3 special police officers in Jammu and Kashmir have resigned ever since the report of the murder of 3 SPOs came out today. They have posted videos on social media announcing their resignation.
"My name is Nawaz Ahmad Lone, resident of Kulgam. I was working as an SPO, I am resigning of my own free will, not because of any compulsion," said one Special Police Officer.
Another said he had been an SPO for six years but had resigned on the 17th and had "nothing to do with the police department".
"My name is Shabir Ahmad Thokar, son of Ghulam Mohammad Thokar. I was working as an SPO for last eight years. Through this video l want tell everybody that from today I have no relation with police department," said a third cop in his video.
"Three more policemen have lost their lives to militant bullets(sic). Outrage, shock & condemnation will be expressed by all of us on expected lines. Unfortunately, it brings no solace to the families of the victims. Clearly, with the rise in kidnapping of police personnel and their families, Centre's muscular policy is not working at all. Dialogue, the only way forward seems to be a distant dream for now": Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti writes on Twitter.
"We have lost 3 of our brave colleagues in a barbaric terror strike. Our tribute to the 3 martyred Jawans - Nisar Ahmad, Firdous Kuchay & Kulwant Singh. We condemn this inhuman act and assure that all the culprits shall be dealt under law," the Kashmir police tweeted.
Soon after the killings, three policemen posted videos announcing their resignation.
The bodies of three policemen with multiple bullet wounds were found hours after they were kidnapped by terrorists.
Three weeks ago, three policemen and eight relatives of police personnel were kidnapped by terrorists in south Kashmir. They were set free after the Jammu and Kashmir police released around a dozen family members of terrorists.
The home ministry had expressed worry about repercussions as the videos floated around in several villages.
Earlier this week, Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists had put out videos in which they had said policemen should either post their resignations online or prepare to be killed.
Terrorists had kidnapped four policemen and one of them was freed with the "help of villagers", home ministry officials have told NDTV.
The terrorists barged into the houses of the policemen - three of them are Special Police Officers - in Kapran village and dragged them out, said the police. Their bullet-ridden bodies were found this morning.
The three murdered SPOs have been identified as Firdous, Nisar and Kuldeep.