Imam shot at by terrorists in J&K's Pulwama

Violence in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district continued as an imam was shot at by a group of terrorists on Friday morning.

The incident took place at Parigam village. According to police, Mohd Ashraf Thoker, the imam of Hanifa mosque, sustained multiple bullet injuries. He was rushed to a nearby hospital and is currently being treated. Sources say he is in critical condition.

The state has been witnessing a huge spurt in terror activity since the fall of the PDP-BJP coalition. The central government has deployed black cat commandos in the area to flush out all the terrorists, but so far the operation has been a mixed success.

Early on Friday morning, the body of a police constable was also found by locals in Kulgam's Pariwan. Javaid Ahmad Dar was abducted on Thursday evening from his home in Shopian district's Vehil village.

The latest attack follows the killing of rifleman Aurangzeb, who was kidnapped and tortured by terrorists in June. A video of him being questioned by his kidnapper went viral, prompting Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to visit his family. While the opposition has attacked the Centre, questioning if India has a defence minister, the Modi government has promised revenge.

Later that month, popular editor Shujaat Bhukari was shot and killed in Srinagar. Investigations have revealed the involvement of the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) along with two locals.

Over 50 security forces have been injured in encounters with terrorists since the beginning of the year, but there is no exact number on the number of terrorists killed. 

[With inputs from ANI]