Militants shot dead a policeman and injured his brother in central Kashmir's Budgam district on Saturday evening.
Reports said the militants fired upon the siblings—Ishfiq Dar posted as a special police officer (SPO) in Budgam and his brother Umar Dar, who is said to a be student at Chatabugh Budgam, injuring them seriously.
A police official said the injured were shifted to SKIMS hospital in Bemina Srinagar, where doctors declared Ishfaq as brought dead.
SPOs are recruited by the J&K police on fixed monthly remuneration of Rs 6000 to Rs 18000 per month depending upon their seniority. The police maintain are an important element in their strategy to combat militancy.
The 30,000 men and women SPOs - bolstering a police force with duties ranging from fighting militancy to maintaining law and order have been targeted specifically by militants in the last few years.
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